


Saving The Savior - SwanQueen

by courtneywoods



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Complete, Domestic Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Happy Ending, Excessive Drinking, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Sex, Non-Canon Relationship, Non-Canonical Violence, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 13:16:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 28,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11380947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courtneywoods/pseuds/courtneywoods
Summary: Emma is living with an abusive Hook and everyone believes she's finally found her happy ending. When Regina starts picking up on the signs, Emma slowly allows her true feelings for Regina to become apparent. Rated explicit for violence, rape, emotional abuse, sexual content.





	1. Cold Little Heart

**_CHAPTER ONE - COLD LITTLE HEART_ **

_Did you ever notice, I've been ashamed?_  
_All my life I've been playing games._  
_We can try to hide it, it's all the same._  
_Bleeding, I'm bleeding._  
_My cold little heart._

* * *

Emma glanced at the time on her wrist as she ran out of the sheriff station, sprinting toward her yellow Volkswagen Bug. She promised her mom she'd meet her at 5:30, but Snow and Regina should know by now that she's always late for everything.

As she tugged on the door handle and the bar door swung open, she was greeted with two familiar grins from both women.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry... I'm 20 minutes late. I lost track of time," Emma apologized.

"Hey, you made it here and that's all that matters!" Snow said as she leaned in and hugged her daughter.

Regina reached out and handed Emma a full glass of wine. "Happy hour ends soon so I ordered your drink. Shall we sit?"

Emma nodded and let Regina guide them to a table near the end of the bar.

"So come on, Emma, spill! I want to hear all about what it's like living with Killian. You must be so happy! I'm so glad you finally found your happy ending and can have what I have with your father!" Snow was already talking Emma's ear off and all Emma could do was smile.

Regina took a sip of her Cabernet and eyed Emma up and down, searching for a reaction.

Emma smiled at her mother and began to answer, "Oh, yeah, it's great. It's so nice to have him around all the time and he treats me so well. I really couldn't ask for more. I never even knew I could be this happy."

Snow leaned over and wrapped an arm around her daughter, pulling her closer. Regina thought for a moment that Snow was going to explode from happiness. "Oh, Emma! You found your true love and your father and I both approve of you and Hook. Perhaps we'll hear wedding bells soon?" She almost sang the last sentence.

Emma just shrugged as she leaned away from Snow's embrace. "Yeah, maybe someday soon."

A pit formed in Regina's stomach after hearing the words escape Emma's lips, but she couldn't put her finger on what was causing it. She just kept her eyes locked on Emma, who swallowed another gulp of her wine.

"I'm happy for you Emma, I really am," was all Regina could say as she tried her hardest to curl her lips into a small smile.

"Thanks," Emma stated flatly. After a few awkward seconds of silence, Emma rose her voice to speak. "Shall we order another round?"

* * *

"Hook?" Emma called out as she closed the front door behind her. When she's met with silence, she calls out again. "Killian, are you home?"

"Swan, there you are!" He rushed to where she was standing in the entryway and planted a kiss on Emma's lips. Emma could taste the rum on his breath.

"Were you here drinking alone?" Emma teased.

"Yeah, I was waiting for you to get home. What's for dinner, I'm starving?"

"Oh, I'm pretty tired and don't feel like making anything. We can just order a pizza." Emma said as she plopped down on the couch.

"Pizza? I don't know if that's the best idea for you to be eating that... wouldn't want you to lose that great figure you have, right?" He laughed, running a hand down her hip, and winked.

Emma shot him a look and raised her eyebrow.

"Oh, relax. I was joking. Let's order the pizza, I'm starving!"

Emma pushed herself off the couch with one arm and whipped her phone out of her back pocket and began to search for the phone number.

"So what held you up at work for so long tonight?" Hook asked, keeping the conversation flowing.

"Oh, I went to grab a quick drink after work with Regina and my mom for happy hour at the bar down the road from the station." Emma answered quickly. "You should go there with your friends, it's a pretty cool place." She continued, trying to keep her tone as casual as possible.

Hook rolled his eyes. "Really? Why the hell have you been spending so much time with Regina lately? Clearly she doesn't approve of our relationship."

"Regina is my friend, not to mention the mother of my child..." Emma said, defensively.

"But I'm your boyfriend. I really wish you wouldn't spend so much time with her. You ditched me for dinner just to hang out with a woman who despises me, and not to mention... she's the bloody Evil Queen!"

"Hey! Don't call her that. Also, I didn't _ditch_ you for dinner. We didn't make plans and besides, I'm about to order if you'd quit your bitching. I don't give you a hard time when you go out for drinks and I can tell you've already been drinking tonight so cut the crap."

"I'm allowed to have a drink or two, I was a pirate for years and can tolerate my liquor. You, on the other hand, are just going out to defy me because you know I don't like you spending time with Regina. It's as if you're trying to sabotage our relationship." Hook argued.

Emma's jaw dropped, unable to form a rebuttal to that ridiculous statement. "Okay, I'm not going to argue because that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I'm just gonna go call for the pizza."

"So you're calling me stupid, huh?"

Emma rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen with her cell phone in hand.

They sat in silence until the doorbell rang and Emma hopped off the couch to answer it. She quickly grabbed the pie out of the delivery man's hand and slipped him some cash before closing the front door.

Emma's hips swayed as she walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room carrying plates and napkins, when she saw Killian already biting into a slice she couldn't help but laugh.

"Damn, you weren't kidding when you said you were starving!" She laughed again and he nodded, his mouth full of warm gooey cheese.

Emma grabbed three slices and put them on her plate and when she took ahold of the first slice and put it to her lips, she looked up at Hook, who was glaring at her with wide eyes.

"What are you looking at? You're the one scarfing the pizza down like it's going to disappear."

He just shook his head in disapproval. She finished two of her slices in record time then plopped the third one back into the box, knowing he'd make another comment if she ate it.

* * *

As soon as Emma was finished brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed, she sent a quick text to Henry. Ever since she moved in with Hook, she realized how much she took for granted all the time they've spent together since she came to Storybrooke.

_Hey kid... Miss you! Have a great day at school tomorrow. Xoxo, Emma._

She put the phone down on the nightstand and Hook walked through the bedroom door.

Her phone buzzed and as she reached to get it, he leaned over and glanced at the screen. "Who are you texting this late at night?"

"Oh, I just wanted to tell Henry I miss him and to have a good day at school tomorrow. I figured he'd be asleep by now... I guess Regina is going soft on him and doesn't enforce her strict rules anymore." She laughed, smiling at the picture of Henry and herself he had set as her wallpaper.

"Why are you always talking about Regina? I don't understand. Are you in love with her or something?" Hook rolled his eyes.

Emma sat up, jaw agape and eyes narrowed as she dropped the phone in her lap. "I wasn't talking about her, I was talking about my son."

"Answer the question, Emma."

"No, Killian. You're being ridiculous. I'm not in love with her. I love you, remember?" Emma said, still trying to get over the initial shock but then remembering the rum he had earlier. She brushed off his accusations as a side effect of too much liquor.

"Prove it to me, then. Make love to me."

Emma let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and her hand formed a fist under the comforter, hidden from his sight. She was furious he was making demands but knew that if she didn't play along, he'd just get more mad.

She climbed to the end of the bed where he was standing and slipped off her white tank top then pulled on the collar of his shirt, easing him on top of her body.

The smell of rum mixed with pizza still lingered on his breath and she cringed as his tongue slipped inside her mouth.

Before she knew it, he was pushing his way inside of her and she stared up at the ceiling waiting for his release to come.


	2. Church Bells

**CHAPTER TWO - CHURCH BELLS**

_Everyone thought they were Ken and Barbie_  
_But Ken was always getting way too drunk_  
_Saturday night, after a few too many_  
_He came home ready to fight_

* * *

Emma slammed the door of her patrol car shut and kicked her boot against the front tire in frustration. She groaned as she realized how much she was already dreading going home after her long day at work.

Her problem wasn't that she didn't like living with Hook, it's just that when she was in the house with him, it never felt like _home_ to her. She brushed it off, assuming it was because she grew up bouncing from house to house in the foster care system and never truly had somewhere that felt like home to her. But she hoped that living with him and settling down in Storybrooke with her parents and Henry nearby, that she'd finally get _that feeling_. Maybe she was just overthinking it. Maybe there was no such thing as feeling home. Maybe, like most things, the idea of it was always better than the real thing. Life wasn't a fairy tale, despite the fact that she was part of a living, breathing fairy tale, things are never as you think they'll be and a true happy ending simply doesn't exist.

She dragged her feet behind her as she walked up the pathway toward the front door and fumbled to put the key in the door.

She was greeted with the sound of silence and when she called out for Killian, she swore she heard an echo.

"Maybe we didn't need such a big house…" She laughed out loud to herself.

She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and called Killian but after five rings, it went to voicemail. She shrugged and walked into the kitchen to start dinner.

The stove top ticked for a brief moment before the fire caught and she put some olive oil in the pan and seasoned the chicken breasts before placing them in the warm pan and got started on the sides.

The sound of her phone ringing startled her out of her thoughts and she immediately answered and put it on speaker. "Hey, Mom!"

"Is this a bad time, sweetie? I wanted to check in and see how your day at work was!" Snow's voice danced through Emma's speakers and her calm, soothing voice already helped Emma feel a little better.

"It's not a bad time at all. I'm just making dinner now and Hook isn't home yet. Work was good, I kept busy. Oh I forgot to double check… Dad is patrolling tomorrow, right? I want to make sure before I slack off and miss a day at work!" Emma laughed.

"Yup, he told me earlier that he's working all day tomorrow. Oh, Emma. I'm so happy you and Hook are together and happy. I know I say it all the time, but it brings so much joy to both your father and me knowing that you finally get everything we've ever wanted you to have!"

Emma's smile immediately disappeared, knowing she could never tell her mother how she still felt like she's not "home" living here with Hook. She could never disappoint her parents like that. Instead, she laughed at her mom. "Oh, Mom. You and Dad are the best, I don't think I'll ever have everything I want, but this comes pretty close just knowing I have my family."

"Have you and Hook discussed any permanent plans yet? Like perhaps a wedding or children?" Snow asked, curiosity lingering in her tone, and Emma grew slightly nauseous but the thought of her mother practically jumping for joy on the other side of the phone made her feel better.

"No, no. Not yet. We just moved in together a few months ago… we're taking it slow. But, listen, I'm gonna go because I need to finish up dinner and Killian will probably be home any minute."

Both women said their goodbyes and when dinner was cooked, Emma tried calling Hook one more time. When it went straight to voicemail, she put her food on a plate, poured herself a drink and carried it into the living room then turned on the television.

* * *

The sound of Hook's elevated tone startled Emma out of her unconscious state.

"Mmmm," Emma grumbled as she rubbed her eyes and blinked, taking in the scene around her. Her dirty dinner plate was sitting on the coffee table next to a half-empty glass of wine. The TV was still on and she turned her head and saw that it was dark outside and she fell asleep on the couch.

"Why would you leave the kitchen like that?" Emma heard Hook yell as she finally sat up and wiped the sleepiness off her face.

"I fell asleep, babe. You weren't home so I had dinner in front of the TV while I waited for you. I tried to call you…" Emma said softly.

"I don't want to live in a pigsty, Emma. The least you could do is clean the mess of dishes you left in the sink and all the pans on the stove!" Hook yelled, stumbling into the kitchen.

"Are you seriously yelling at me right now for making a mess while I cooked dinner for us? You don't see me throwing a fit over the fact that you didn't even bother telling me where you were all night." Her voice sounded more sarcastic than angry, trying her best to remain calm but refusing to give in without stating her case.

"That's because you don't care enough about me to actually check in on me!" He snapped back.

"I called multiple times. Check your phone." Emma stated flatly.

"Oh." He said with a frown. "I was out with friends at the tavern." He replied, much calmer now.

"I can see that based off the fact that you wreak of rum and can barely stand up straight! Seems a little hypocritical considering you gave me a hard time for going out to happy hour with Regina and my mother while you're out all night with your friends." Emma snapped, finally raising her voice.

"It's different because my friends actually like you and approve of our relationship, unlike Regina." He rolled his eyes as Regina's name escaped his lips.

"Oh god, not this again. How many times do I have to tell you… Regina does not hate you and she is the mother of my son and also my friend, whether you like it or not!"

"I don't want you seeing her anymore. Or talking to her. It would be in the best interest for our relationship if you just cut off contact with her completely, in fact."

Emma's jaw dropped and all she could do was shake her head and blink a few times until she could regain her composure. "Absolutely not."

Hook grabbed the nearest object, her hall-full wine glass, off the table and chucked it against the wall, shattering the glass into pieces and spilling the remains of the wine on the plush carpet. "Dammit Swan, are you blind or just an idiot?"

Emma jumped as the glass hit the wall and froze in place.

"Don't you see I'm trying to do what's best for us and for our relationship?"

"Okay, Killian. Calm down." Emma whispered, trying to take her own advice. "You drank too much and I'm just going to go up to bed now but your dinner is in the kitchen so you can heat it up." She took one step toward the shattered glass on the other side of the room then paused to look at him.

When he just bowed his head, she walked cautiously toward the glass and waved her hand over the pieces and the wine stain, using her magic to clean up the mess, part of her wishing she could somehow use her magic to rewind time and avoid this argument in the first place.

After the mess was gone, she headed toward the staircase and Hook intercepted her. Emma sighed and looked up at him, too tired to argue anymore. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

She relaxed in his embrace, but felt her chest tighten.

"I'm sorry for yelling and throwing the glass. I should have told you I was going out." He whispered into her ear and Emma nodded, unable to say anything.

"How about you go up to bed and I'll clean up the kitchen and warm up my dinner? Okay? Goodnight, I love you." Hook said and let Emma slip out of his arms. She smiled at him and he kissed her forehead then wandered into the kitchen.

Emma climbed the stairs two at a time and closed the door behind her when she got into their bathroom. As she locked eyes with the tired green eyes staring back at her in the mirror, she let out a long breath and stared at herself for a few moments, trying to keep her composure.

After she finished brushing her teeth and pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she peeled the sheets back on the bed and slid underneath, curling into a ball facing the wall.

As Hook entered the bedroom, Emma squeezed her eyes shut in hopes of him believing she had already fallen asleep. She listened to him shuffling around the room, probably undressing, then felt the weight of the bed shift. As the strong stench of rum hit her, she held her breath and counted down from 100 in her head until she fell asleep.


	3. Black Rose

**CHAPTER THREE - BLACK ROSE**

_You never tell me how you feel and your moods they always change_  
_I really tried to make it real but you never had the faith_  
_I tried to give you something good to take the pain away_  
_I tried to make you understand, you don't have to be this way_

* * *

"Good morning, princess!" Emma heard Hook whisper into her ear as soon as she opened her eyes.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the light. She looked around and took in the state of her bedroom, jaw agape.

Rose petals were carefully arranged all over the bed and around the floor on the carpet. She smiled and looked at Hook. "Oh, wow. Killian, you did this?"

"Of course! Anything for you. I also attempted to make pancakes for us." He whipped the plate out from behind his back. "They probably aren't too great, but I'm sure they'll taste okay once we load them up with syrup." He laughed.

"I'm sure they're delicious! What's the occasion?"

"No special occasion. I just want to show you how special you are to me and how much I love you." He said and kissed her softly. All Emma could do was smile at him and kiss him again.

"I know I've been acting out a lot the past few weeks and I wanted to apologize, love." He started, his voice genuine and full of kindness. "I have been stressed over the fact that I've been in this world for a while now and still don't feel like I fit in. You've lived here your entire life and you have a job and you're always busy and I sometimes forget that you aren't here to take care of me and spend every minute with me."

"Oh, Killian. I appreciate the apology but it's not necessary. I understand. But if you need help adapting, you know I'm willing. I can help you find a job, don't worry. Hey, why don't you go down to the marina and see if they need an extra hand there?" She laughed at her comment and he shot her a look and laughed.

"Not sure if I appreciate the joke about my hand, love… but that's a great idea. I'll swing by there today and check it out." He smiled at her and reached to lace his fingers through hers. "I know I'm not perfect but I want you to know I've never been happier than I am with you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Emma gulped, worried about what he might be getting to. "I'm so happy, too. I love you so much and am so glad I found you." She offered a small smile and placed her other hand on top of the spot on the bed where their fingers were intertwined.

"I want to give you the world, Swan. I mean it. How do you feel about getting married soon or perhaps having kids of our own?

Emma's heart raced in her chest but she wasn't sure if it was out of excitement or nervousness. She let out a deep breath and continued to smile at him. She opened her mouth to speak then quickly closed it when no words came out. She chalked it up to the fact that she'd be unable to successfully open up and find happiness in the past.

But then thoughts of the idea of happiness and a family with Hook and knowing how happy her parents would be finally helped her find the words to say. "I would love that, too. It's exactly what I want."

"Perfect. Let's start trying for kids of our own tonight!" He practically jumped up off the bed in excitement.

"Woah, woah. Take it easy, babe." She laughed and his face dropped.

"I was being serious." He said flatly, the joy in his voice quickly draining.

She panicked and quickly thought of an escape, "Oh, crap! I forgot I have work today! I'm going to be so late." She jumped out of bed and charged in the direction of the bathroom.

Although she was fully aware of the fact that her father was working at the station and patrolling today, she needed to get dressed and get out of the house before this conversation could progress any further. She kissed Hook goodbye before running out toward her Bug and pulling the car door shut.

She drove around town with no destination in mind and after a while, ended up pulling into the lot of the park, figuring a walk along the water would help her clear her head.

Thoughts raced through her mind and she did her best to push them away and just focus on the sound of the stillness around her. She stopped in front of a bench and plopped down, keeping her eyes on the calm water.

"Emma! Hey, Emma!"

The sound of the woman's voice startled her and she jumped as Regina placed a hand on her shoulder. When Regina saw her reaction, she shot her a look of concern.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked immediately.

"Nothing, you scared the hell out of me!" Emma laughed and Regina shot her a look. In all the years of knowing Emma, she wasn't one to jump at any sudden reactions or be consumed in her thoughts to the point where she was distracted by her surroundings. "What are you doing here, don't you have to work?"

Regina shrugged and Emma glanced down at the mayor's outfit. She was dressed in her work attire, but Emma knew that didn't mean anything since Regina was always dressed to the nines.

"I figured I'd take a break and enjoy the nice day. What about you? Why are you here and not home with your pirate?" Regina laughed.

"Oh, same reason as you. I wanted a break and figured I'd enjoy the weather." Emma looked down, noticing a scuff in her boot and leaning down to rub at it with her thumb.

"Emma, what is it?"

"What are you talking about?" Emma questioned, cocking her head to the side.

"You just seem… off. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Regina. Everything is fine." Emma said, sounding a little snappier and defensive than she had intended.

"Hey, it's me. You don't have to put your walls up with me."

Emma groaned and rolled her eyes. "God, why do you always feel the need to grill me and assume something is wrong? I said I'm fine and nothing is wrong! Why don't you just take my word for it?"

"Because, Emma." Regina paused for a moment and stepped closer. "I may not have your superpower of knowing when someone is lying. But with you, I can always tell."

"Okay, now you just sound delusional. I'm fine." She brushed the woman off and started to walk away but Regina grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

Emma spun on her heel to face her and Regina kept her hand rested on the blonde's shoulder. "I'll take your word for it, but I do want you to know that if there were something going on, you could always come to me."

Emma just nodded and smiled at the other woman who she knew truly cared for her. "Thanks."

"Oh, I have to run and get Henry from school soon." Regina announced as she glanced at the time on her wrist.

As soon as she heard her son's name, Emma's face fell and her gaze shifted to the floor.

"Ah, so that's why you seem so upset? You miss Henry?" Regina asked in reaction to Emma's behavior.

Emma looked up at Regina and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. I feel like ever since I moved in with Hook, I've barely had the chance to see him anymore..." Emma's voice trailed off.

"I have an idea. How about we go pick him up from school together and take him out for dinner? He'd love that!" Regina suggested with a wide grin.

"I would love that, too." Emma whispered. Regina locked eyes with her and neither of them broke contact for a few moments as Emma felt her body fill with warmth over the thought of spending the afternoon with Henry and Regina. "I really do miss that kid."

"He's not a kid anymore. When did he get so old?" Regina laughed and Emma followed suit, realizing she hadn't laughed so genuinely in a while.

"Let me just call Hook and let him know I'm going out with you and Henry." Emma stated and pulled out her phone. Regina shot her a confused look but Emma didn't notice as she already had the phone pressed to her ear as the sound of the ringer came through the speaker.

When it went to his voicemail, Emma shrugged. "I'll just text him and let him know."

"Can I ask you why you need to ask for permission to see your own son?" Regina asked, the look of disapproval evident in her furrowed brow.

"It's not asking for permission, Regina! It's called being considerate so he knows where I am!" Emma's raised voice shocked Regina and her eyes went wide.

Regina simply put her hands up in defense and raised her eyebrows. "Okay, Miss Swan. Whatever you say."

Emma rolled her eyes then grumbled, "let's go."

* * *

Henry's face lit up when he walked out of school and saw both his mothers waiting for him. He sprinted over to them and nearly tackled Emma in a hug.

"Jeez, kid. When did you get so strong? Maybe you should go out for wrestling," Emma laughed as she squeezed her son tightly.

"I missed you! What are you both doing here?"

"We wanted to surprise you and go out for dinner! What do ya say... Granny's? Or are you too old and cool to be seen out in public with your moms nowadays?" Emma laughed and Regina smiled at the sound of her laughter and peered at her, admirably.

"Are you kidding? Nothing would make me happier!"

"Me too, kid. Me, too."


	4. Re-Offender

**CHAPTER FOUR - RE-OFFENDER**

_But I'm fooling myself_  
_Cause you say you love me_  
_And then you do it again_  
_You do it again_  
_You say you're sorry_  
_And then you do it again_

* * *

Emma swung open the front door, still beaming with joy thinking about how much she enjoyed her dinner with Regina and Henry.

 _"Hey, Emma. Next time, you should come to our house and mom can cook for us like old times."_ Emma heard Henry's voice echo in her head and she smiled again as she closed the door behind her.

"There you are, I was worried sick about you!" Hook yelled, with more resentment in his tone than concern. He was reclining on the sofa with a glass of rum in his hand, not looking too concerned.

"Oh, I was at dinner with Regina and Henry! We decided to surprise him and take him out. You should've seen how happy -"

Before she could finish, Hook cut her off. "Why in bloody hell didn't you call?"

"Killian... babe." Emma started, keeping her voice calm. "I did call. You didn't answer so I texted you. Did you not see it?" She ran to his side and he pulled out his phone.

"A text message? Don't I deserve more than a text message? You know I still can't work this ridiculous contraption aside from answering calls. If you didn't hear back from me, why didn't you try calling again?" He stood up, looking down at her.

Emma's ability to remain calm was thrown out the window as she stood up and looked him directly in the eye, unafraid of anything he could say or do to her.

"I told you... I was out to dinner. And you should really learn how to work your phone by now, babe." She laughed and leaned in to kiss his lips, lightening the mood.

He sighed then wrapped his arms around her and his tone softened, "It's not funny. I was worried something happened to you. I figured you'd be coming home right from work to eat dinner with me." He leaned away from her and looked at her again. "But instead, you choose Regina over me once again. Swan, she is ruining our relationship."

"Ruining our relationship? Killian, what are you even talking about?"

"I specifically recall me telling you not to see her anymore. Or did you already forget what I asked of you?" He began to raise his voice again and she groaned.

"Oh, believe me. I remember you asking. I also remember me telling you that you can't tell me who I spend my time with. Especially if it comes between me spending time with Henry! Don't you dare try to come between me and my son!"

Emma quickly realized that raising her voice wasn't a smart move. Before she could blink, the sound of his fist making contact with the drywall vibrated through the room.

"Wonderful..." Emma grumbled. "Another mess of yours I'll have to clean up. Seriously, Killian, get your act together and lay off the rum!" She rolled her eyes and he crumbled in front of her as he took in the sight of what he did.

"Oh my god, Emma. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to react that way! I'll have Geppetto come over tomorrow and fix it."

"Save it, Hook. I'm going to bed and I'll deal with it myself in the morning." She groaned as she made her way up the stairs.

She reached the bathroom before letting out a deep breath then started to get ready for bed. She went under the cabinet to grab her birth control pill and when she couldn't find it, she rolled her eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She growled quietly. "Hook!" She roared, storming toward the staircase.

"Hook, have you seen my birth control pill? It's not under the cabinet." She asked, flustered.

"I told you, Swan. I want to start a family. You don't need those anymore so I got rid of them."

"You're joking, right? You had absolutely **no** **right** to do that!" She ran into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her, whipping out her phone and jotting down a reminder to call the doctor tomorrow morning for a new prescription.


	5. Bird Set Free

**CHAPTER FIVE - BIRD SET FREE**

_Clipped wings, I was a broken thing_  
_Had a voice, had a voice but I could not sing_  
_You would wind me down_  
_I struggled on the ground, oh_  
_So lost, the line had been crossed_  
_Had a voice, had a voice but I could not talk_  
_You held me down  
_ _I struggle to fly now, oh_

* * *

The sound of Emma's buzzing alarm startled her awake as she groaned and reached over toward her nightstand to dismiss the obnoxious buzzing.

She rolled over to face away from the sunlight coming in through the window and furrowed her brow as she realized Hook was missing from his side of the bed.

She shrugged it off and hopped in the shower to get ready for work. After grabbing a granola bar out of the pantry and heading toward the door, she noticed her car keys were gone.

A loud growl rumbled in her throat as she stomped down the driveway in search of her car, already knowing what she'd find.

When her assumptions were confirmed, she yanked her phone out of her pocket and dialed Hook's number.

Three tries later, she was finally met with the sound of his voice on the other end of the line.

"Good morning, beautiful. What's up?" His voice sounded way too pleasant considering Emma's mood right now.

"Well, you see… I'm trying to get to work but there's just one little problem… my car seems to be missing. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" The sarcasm oozed off her tongue and she hoped he would pick up on the annoyance in her tone.

"Smee and I decided to go for a quick road trip and I knew you were patrolling today and would be using the police car so I figured I'd take your Bug." He stated and Emma heard Smee's inaudible mumbling in the background.

"And how exactly do you expect me to get to the station to get the police car, Hook?" She yelled.

"Swan, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I can come back if you need me to."

Emma sighed. "Don't bother! I'll just call my dad and have him come pick me up. Do you even know how to drive a car? And where are you going?" Emma asked curiously, her temper evening out.

Hook's laughter echoed in the receiver. "I figured out the vessel, quickly it wasn't too complicated. I can maneuver the Jolly Rodger quite well, love. A simple stick shift isn't much of a challenge. And I can't tell you where we are going. It's a guy's only trip so it's top secret. I'll be home by dinner though. Can we have meatloaf tonight?"

Emma was too busy typing up a quick text message to her father to see if he was able to pick her up to even take the time to register what he was saying. "Um, what? Yeah, sure. I work until 6 so just stop at the store and get the ingredients and I'll make it when I get home."

"Will do, love. Have a great day at work! Can't wait for dinner tonight!"

Emma hung up and before she could even put her phone away, she saw her dad's truck turning the corner onto her street. He hopped in and thanked him.

"Of course, sweetie. What happened to your car?"

Emma quickly panicked, unable to tell her father that Hook took her car and wouldn't even tell her why. She didn't want to worry him over something so minor. "Oh, he just needed to run some errands and I forgot I had to work today when I told him last night that he could take it." She said with a smile, realizing she sounded so certain as if she just delivered an air-tight alibi for a criminal trial.

Charming leaned over and wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders as they drove off toward the station.

"See you later, Dad. Thanks again for the ride!"

"Of course. Have a good day, and you can just take the patrol car home and I'll swing by with Snow and get it so you don't have to worry about it!"

Emma smiled and thanked him again before he drove off.

* * *

Hook strolled out of the kitchen as Emma made her way inside. Her day at work was much more hectic than she anticipated and she was exhausted and couldn't wait to eat dinner and go to bed. "Oh, thank god you're home, I'm starving!" He laughed and kissed her. "How was work, love?"

"I will never understand how you survived living on a boat all those years or in Neverland since you're hungry so often." She joked then continued, "Work was busier than I expected actually. I'm exhausted! Who would've thought a sheriff of a land full of fairy tale characters would be so busy working as sheriff?" She laughed and kissed him again, eager to take her mind off of the work day and find a nice distraction.

"Well, the day is over now and you are home safe with me." He said with a smile while rubbing her arm then leaned in and kissed her neck. "For someone working all day out on the town, you sure smell incredible." He nibbled on her earlobe and his hand trailed down to her waist. "God, you're so damn sexy."

She finally got the distraction she was hoping for and she flirted back, "You aren't so bad to look at yourself, captain. But let me get dinner started then we can pick this back up. Where did you put the ingredients?" She asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"What ingredients? What are we having?"

"I thought you wanted meatloaf, Killian… you said you'd stop at the store and get everything so I could make it." Her voice trailed off.

When he just looked at her in confusion, she groaned for what felt like the hundredth time today. "Do you seriously not remember me asking you to do that? What, were you drunk at 9 in the morning while you were driving around in my car?"

"Swan, what are you talking about?" He asked and shoved his hands in his pocket.

"Where were you all day? Where did you go with Smee?"

"My whereabouts with my friends aren't really your concern."

"But when I go out for drinks _with my mother_ or dinner _with my son_ I get the third degree? That hardly seems fair." She challenged him, refusing to be ridiculed right now.

"It's different and you know it." He said, his voice calmer than she expected. He took a step closer to her and she raised her eyebrow of disapproval and shook her head.

He leaned in to kiss her neck again and whispered, "Well if there's nothing for dinner, the least you can do for me is come upstairs with me and repay me for you not cooking dinner."

Emma couldn't help but start cracking up after hearing this.

"You do realize I was the one working all day while you were out doing god knows what? Did you even stop at the marina like I suggested? And for the record - just because you don't know how to do anything yourself doesn't mean I am going to cook for you every damn day and I _certainly_ don't "owe you" anything!" Her voice was full of rage and she refused to hold back.

Before she saw it coming, Hook smacked her across the face. In fact, it happened so fast that Emma didn't even feel any pain from it, she was too stunned for it to hurt her.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that. That is no way to treat your man." He shouted at her, taking another step in her direction in an attempt to intimidate her.

Emma didn't even flinch. All she did stare him in the eyes as she shook her head and clenched her jaw then stepped toward him and shoved him with two hands, forcing him backward onto the floor. "If you **ever** fucking hit me again, I'll leave you!" She shouted back at him then stormed up the steps.

She looked out the bedroom window and saw him make his way down the steps of the front porch, probably to go to a bar. She was too tired and defeated to even get changed so she just climbed right into bed. She stared off in the distance as the sound of her racing heartbeat filled the room. She dozed off quickly, refusing to shed a tear over what just happened.


	6. Author's Note

**Author's Note: I posted this story on FanFiction.net a few weeks ago when I first wrote it (before I was approved for A03 and could post my stories on here). I got a TON of backlash and hateful reviews saying that I'm cruel for making Hook a villain in the story and for making Emma a weak character because only weak women are victims of domestic abuse. Since this is such an important topic, I wanted to post my author's note on here as well for all of you to read so you understand why this story is so important to me and hopefully to my readers.**

* * *

 

I want to take a moment to reply to those of you leaving very straightforward and honestly cruel comments on the story.

First of all, I want to remind everyone that the characters in this story are fictional, as is this story. The events that occur are not related to the events on the show, they are simply based off the characters and the show's timeline. That is all. My intention is not to taint the image of Hook, because I actually am a fan of his character and have absolutely nothing against him.

Second of all, my goal is to write a powerful story with an emotional plot that has an impact on people. Some of you mentioned in your reviews that Emma is too strong to ever be the victim of abuse. **That alone** is the very reason why this story is so important. You can be the strongest person on the planet and still fall victim to domestic violence. The story is meant to portray that violence or abuse can stem from something as simple as manipulation and some people don't even realize it's happening before it is too late.

Has your partner ever made a joke about you that insulted you? Has your partner ever made a comment about your appearance or your eating habits or even your outfit? Has he or she ever gotten mad over something minuscule that made you feel hurt? Has he or she ever apologized multiple times just to do something again? My goal here is to help showcase the early signs of domestic abuse and show what it can stem into. If my story can help even just one person, I'll be happy.

Emma feels pressure to stay, from her parents, from the fact that she feels comfortable with Hook, from the fact that she does love him, despite the random outbreaks of anger. This is something that's very common with domestic violence cases and I want to showcase that in my writing.

Also, someone mentioned that Emma has magic so she'd be able to fight back. I am obviously well aware of that. I also know Emma is physically strong and could probably overtake Hook if she wanted to. This will all be addressed later in the story regarding why she's unable to fight back. Everyone who watches the show knows that things can get complicated when it comes to magic and it doesn't always turn out as planned.

I also want to make it well known that I **did** mark the story as mature for violence, rape and abuse from the start. I made it clear that it was headed in this direction in case that's a trigger for anyone reading. If you are uncomfortable with these types of mature themes in any way, please avoid reading stories that have this warning from the author. It's why we take the time to post them in the summary and throughout the chapters in the first place.

If you don't want to read this type of story or feel offended by it in any way, then by all means… you don't have to continue reading it. Nobody is forcing you to. But it is my right as a writer on a website like this to post my creative writing and let my stories be told. I already had people reach out to me and let me know this story deserves to be told and that they're happy I am brave enough to write it.

Lastly, I want to say thanks to everyone who sticks around and continues reading. Yes, it will get worse before things get better. Yes, it is a SwanQueen fanfiction and Emma and Regina will end up together. Yes, it is labeled mature for a reason. I promise to put enough time and dedication into this story to give this type of important topic the coverage it deserves.


	7. Getaway Driver

**GETAWAY DRIVER**

_So I keep the engine running, she'll be my gasoline  
_ _She treats my heart like a stolen car, all the while she had the key  
_ _Standing in the line of fire, I'll be right beside her  
_ _I'm her getaway driver_

* * *

A nightmare jolted Emma out of her sleep and she woke up in a pool of sweat.

The smell of rum immediately filled the air around her and she looked over and saw Hook passed out in bed next to her, probably still drunk from the previous night. She rolled her eyes then peered over and saw the numbers on the clock glowing 5:38 am.

Even though she didn't have work today, she didn't think she'd be able to fall back asleep so she quietly climbed out of the bed and headed into her closet.

She threw on a workout tank top and compression shorts, then brushed her teeth and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Before heading outside, she scribbled a short note and left it on the nightstand to let Hook know she'd be home later for dinner.

She was certain he didn't know her work schedule anyway, but figured the note would cover all her bases so he didn't call her all day long trying to track her down.

The feeling of the pavement underneath her sneakers felt unfamiliar at first but the release came quickly, as thoughts that filled her head were quickly melted away as her music flowed through her headphones. She picked up her pace as she rounded the corner of Main Street then realized she didn't have any destination in mind.

She kept running until she couldn't any longer and when she glanced at the time on her phone screen, she sighed. At 6:30 am, she knew her parents wouldn't be awake yet. So she rounded the corner toward Mifflin Street, walking toward Regina's house in hopes that the woman was awake and getting Henry's up and on the bus for school.

Regina's familiar face greeted her at the door seconds after Emma knocked. "Miss Swan, what a surprise to see you awake before noon." She laughed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was out for a run and I realized that you were right the other day. I do miss Henry. A lot. I figured I'd come over and see if I could have breakfast with both of you and then take him to school. What do you say?"

Regina raised an eyebrow and eyed her up and down, not buying her act. "Of course, come on in. Henry will be thrilled."

"Thanks. I can even help make breakfast!" Emma suggested with a friendly smile.

Regina's deep laughter filled the home. "I never thought I'd see the day when Emma Swan could cook anything without starting a fire."

"Eh, it's not like I have much of a choice now that I cook for Hook." Emma said with a laugh, attempting to sound playful and casual.

"Let's not talk about that useless, no-good pirate. We both know he can't do anything himself. I bet it's a blast to live with him…"

Emma opened her mouth to speak but when nothing came out, she just nodded and was thankful when she heard Henry running down the stairs.

"Emma! What are you doing here so early?" Henry called as he sprinted quickly down the steps and hugged his mom.

"I came to have some breakfast with you, kid!"

"Mom, I'm almost old enough to drive a car. When will you stop calling me kid?" He laughed.

"Keep dreaming! You'll always be kid to me." She smiled and kissed his forehead.

They all sat down at the kitchen table and stuffed their faces with Regina's homemade french toast.

"Mmmm, Regina. I forgot how good your cooking was!" Emma moaned and Regina just smiled at her and laughed.

Regina kept her eyes on Emma as she took a sip of her orange juice, studying the blonde. Emma felt Regina staring at her but ignored it and went to take another bite of her breakfast.

After they finished eating, Henry swung his backpack over one shoulder and he and Emma headed out the door.

"You know, Mom. I am old enough to walk to school alone, but I'd never turn down extra time with you so I'm glad you're here with me." Henry smiled and Emma rubbed his shoulder then gave him a hug goodbye as they made it to the entrance of the school.

As much as Emma knew she should go back home and change then spend the day with her parents or with Hook on her day off, she found herself walking back in the direction of Regina's home.

She didn't knock before she pushed the door open.

"Emma, you're back? I figured you'd be headed home after you dropped Henry off… perhaps to shower since you don't smell too great." Regina teased and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh." Emma's face fell as she realized she wasn't welcome. "Sorry about that…" She started backing up and Regina immediately reached out and grabbed her arm.

"I was kidding, dear. You're more than welcome to stay here. Come in."

Emma smiled and she rocked back and forth on her heels in the foyer of the house. Regina noticed the immediate lift in her mood and couldn't help but smile at the blonde.

"You know what? Do you mind if I just use your shower? I'll be quick, I promise!"

As soon as Emma asked to use her shower, Regina was almost positive that something was wrong with Emma. But she didn't want to pressure Emma and knew that would just result in her putting up her walls and leaving. Instead, she just nodded in approval and Emma shuffled up the stairs.

Emma pushed open the door to Regina's bedroom and realized she had never actually been in here. She'd only been in Henry's room and the guest room once or twice. She admired the fact that Regina's bed was perfectly made and everything in the room was tidy and in place. Although, she should have expected nothing short of perfection from the brunette who always had a knack for order and cleanliness. Everything about Regina was tidy, so it wasn't surprising that her room was the same way.

She look a few extra minutes lathering her body in Regina's body wash, breathing in the sweet scent. When she got out of the shower, she wrapped herself in a fluffy towel and walked back into the bedroom.

She frowned when she looked at her dirty clothes in a pile on the floor. She found the door to Regina's walk-in closet and rummaged through her clothes in attempt to find a normal shirt among the many business blouses, pencil skirts and pant suits.

When she finally found a more casual blouse, she threw it on and buttoned up the buttons. Then she grabbed a pair of jeans that she had never seen Regina wear before and slid them on, one leg at a time.

As she was blow drying her hair in the bathroom, Regina strolled in and eyed her up and down. "I see you had no problem locating my closet, Miss Swan."

"Uh - yeah… sorry." Emma shrugged and Regina laughed at her.

"So, are you going to tell me the real reason why you came here to shower instead of going home and showering there?" Regina quizzed, raising her eyebrow again.

Emma let out a nervous laugh. "I wouldn't have even showered if you hadn't said something to me about smelling! I came here to see you, that's all…"

Although Regina didn't buy her excuse for a second, she didn't want to push it further. Instead she smiled and nodded.

"You know, I actually like seeing you in my clothes. It reminds me of the old days when you stole my shirt," Regina said, not realizing she sounded so flirtatious until the words left her mouth.

"Well, sorry, your majesty, but you're never getting this shirt back because it looks _wayyy_ too good on me." Emma said with a wink and Regina swallowed, unable to deny it. She tried her best to not let her gaze wander over the way her blouse clung to Emma's strong body in all the right places.

Emma smirked, knowing what effect she was having on Regina without having to say anything. But she also knew she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize their friendship so she changed the subject. "Do you have a lot of work to do today?"

Regina bit her lip and looked up in thought. "Hmm… not too much. Why?"

"I was thinking I could tag along and spend more time with you at your office and then maybe grab lunch?" Emma said, trailing it off to make it clear that it was a question.

Regina was surprised that Emma was asking for permission to do anything, it certainly wasn't like her. She figured that Emma wanting to spend more alone time with her meant that she wanted to talk about something that was going on and actually open up to her. She smiled and nodded then they both headed out the door and climbed into Regina's Mercedes.

When they arrived at the mayor's office, Regina got right to her paperwork and Emma suggested she run out and grab them coffee.

"That would be incredible. Thanks, Emma. You know how I like it right?"

"Yes, of course. Be right back!"

She returned with two to-go cups. She handed one to Regina and the woman smiled and thanked her.

"Anything for you," Emma grinned.

"So, Emma. Tell me more about what's going on."

"What do you mean?"

"I know something is off with you and it's not just because you miss Henry. Every time I mention Hook, your face falls and I know nobody else notices it, but I do. I want you to trust me and tell me what's going on."

"Regina, I really don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing going on with Hook and me. We are fine."

"Okay, so tell me then. When was the last time you were happy when you were home with him?"

"Home?" Emma asked and her face fell as the sound of the word echoed in her head.

"Yes, Emma. Your house with Hook."

"You really need to stop asking so many questions, it's getting annoying. I told you we are fine so why don't you just drop it?"

"Because. I am trying to help you. You might not always see it, but I care about you and want you to be happy."

"Well right now, the only person who isn't making me happy is you!" Emma yelled and stormed out of the office.

Regina sighed and tried her best to return to her work.

* * *

When Regina opened the door to her house after work, she took in the sight of Emma sitting on the couch watching a movie with Henry.

"Oh, Emma. You're back?"

Emma just nodded and kept her eyes on the television. "Yeah, I wanted to spend more time with Henry." She said, sure of her words. "Wait. What time is it?" She jumped up and looked at the clock. "Shit! I told Hook I'd be home for dinner! I have to go. I'll see you both later!" She sprinted out the door without even giving Henry a hug goodbye and Regina's gaze fell to the floor as Henry shrugged.


	8. Til It Happens To You

**TIL IT HAPPENS TO YOU**

_You tell me it gets better, it gets better in time_  
_You say I'll pull myself together, pull it together_  
_You'll be fine_  
_Tell me what the hell do you know_  
_Tell me how the hell could you know_  
_How could you know_  
_'Til it happens to you, you don't know how it feels_

* * *

Emma was nearly out of breath as she sprinted up the driveway. She intended to sneak up the stairs and get to her bedroom unnoticed so she could change out of Regina's clothes and prevent Hook from seeing them and asking questions.

Her plan failed miserably though because he was right in the foyer, sitting on the step waiting for her to come inside.

He immediately stood up, stumbling over toward her and she flinched slightly, thinking about last night. But then she took a deep breath and smiled, leaning in to kiss him hello but he turned his head and she just planted the kiss on his cheek instead.

"Hey, Killian. How was your day?" She asked, cheery and light, her voice full of sweetness.

"Where the hell did you disappear to this time?" He slurred. "And I want the truth, don't feed me any bullshit excuses!"

"Babe, I never lie to you. I have nothing to hide. I'm not the one who keeps secrets in this relationship." Her tone sounded calm, and he probably believed it to be genuine. Suddenly, Emma's mind wandered to Regina. And how no matter what Emma said or did, Regina always knew when something was off. Also how she'd never raise her voice like this at her. Even when she first came to Storybrooke and Emma cut down Regina's apple tree behind her office and she came out fuming, she never made her feel this way. In fact, Emma actually enjoyed Regina's reaction.

Emma tried to push Regina out of her head, feeling ashamed that she was thinking this way about her friend while having a conversation with her boyfriend and the man who loves her.

"Are you even listening to me, Swan? Where the bloody hell were you?"

She sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Please calm down. I went for a run then spent time with Henry. We watched Harry Potter together and I helped him with his homework. Or at least I tried... that kid's homework is a lot tougher than I imagined. I don't know how Regina helps him with it." As soon as she spoke Regina's name, Emma cursed inwardly at herself, knowing this would trigger Hook and make him more furious.

"It's always about Regina, isn't it? Let me guess, she was there, too. And I assume those are her clothes you're wearing?"

"It's not about Regina, Hook. This is about me and the relationship I have with my son. Regina was working today. And yes, I borrowed some clothes from her closet after my run. I don't see what the big deal is. Even if Regina were there, it wouldn't matter. We simply lost track of time watching the movie. That is all." Emma finished.

Hook huffed and brushed it off, refusing to provide a rebuttal. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. I don't want to come between you and your son. I promise that's not my intention. You know I love you and Henry both and just want to make you happy."

Emma admired his apology but also knew it didn't mean much considering he was slurring his words. "Thank you. I just wish you'd trust me."

"I do, love." He leaned in and kissed her forehead lightly, as if afraid to hurt her or scare her off. "I also want to apologize for last night. I should have never laid a hand on you..." He continued apologizing and the drunkenness in his voice started to slowly disappear. Emma just looked directly in his eyes, showing she wasn't afraid and that she was urging him to continue. "A gentleman never hurts his lady and I know I'm very old-fashioned and demand a lot sometimes, but I promise I'm trying hard to adapt to this world and be the best man that I can be for you."

Emma smiled and nodded, accepting and appreciating his honest apology and the sincerity in his tone. She kissed him and tasted the rum on his lips. "Drinking rum for dinner, I see? Or are you going to be cooking for us tonight?" She laughed, already knowing the answer but trying to keep things light because she had enough emotional talk for one day.

Hook groaned. "Don't remind me. I tried to make myself something to eat but just ended up frustrated so I poured some rum and figured I'd wait for you."

She laughed at his frustration. "How about we make something together? We can do something simple with whatever we have in the house. Or if you'd like, we can just order take out or get pizza again because you know I'll never turn down pizza." She said with a smile.

"Trust me, I know. I just don't know if that's the best idea because pizza is very fattening and you're already looking bigger than you did when we first moved in."

Emma's face fell. It wasn't that she felt victimized by what he was saying because she knew she hadn't gained a single pound since they moved in together and lately she had actually been losing a lot of weight. She was simply startled that he'd actually say something like that in such a serious tone.

"Okay well then how about this?" She chimed in, her voice no longer soft and sweet. "I'll skip dinner since I apparently don't need the calories and you can figure out your own meals from now on. How does that sound, Hook?"

"You're right, you probably should skip dinner." He laughed, eyeing her up and down and for the first time, she felt more disgusted by it than she did flattered.

"And you should probably lay off the rum!" She snapped. "And while you're at it, you can go fuck yourself!"

All of Emma's strength went out the window as Hook shoved her up against the wall, her head slamming against the windowsill. His hand made contact with her throat just hard enough to scare her and then started choking her harder and tightening his grip.

Emma tried to remain calm, although her eyes were wide and she was panicking. She brought her hand up to use her magic to push him off but when she tried, her hand started convulsing and for the first time, she felt defenseless.

She felt her strong exterior begin to crack and she gave in to her fear and began to beg.

"Killian - Please." She struggled to get out words as the oxygen drained from her lungs. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean - I didn't mean to offend you. Sorry. Please. You're hurting me."

Hook blinked and shook his head, almost as if he were snapping back to reality. He let go of his grasp on her neck and she crumbled to the floor and he followed suit.

Emma's had one hand on her neck and the other rubbing the spot on the back of her head where it came in contact with the windowsill. She gasped for air and Hook began to cry, causing Emma to look him in the eyes.

"Emma, love. I am so sorry. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to hurt you! I love you so much."

Emma swallowed and glared at him with hate and anger. She mumbled lightly, "strike two."

Hook continued his endless apologies and after he curled into a ball on the ground crying, Emma finally realized he was truly upset by his actions. Between his cries, she made out the repetitive "I'm sorrys" over and over.

Although she was still fuming, she knew the only way to stop his crying was to lie. "Killian, shh. I forgive you."

He sat up and caught his breath. "I don't want to be this person. I don't know what has gotten into me and why I'm acting this way. I want to be the man you deserve."

Emma's heart sank and her stomach was in knots, suddenly starting to believe that maybe this was what she deserved. Her life had never been easy so why did she think she was capable of ever finding happiness? Or something that finally made her feel at home?

"You are," she whispered and helped him up. He plopped down on the sofa and dropped his head into his hands and Emma quietly went upstairs.

She ignored the cramps and the growling noises her stomach was producing because she knew it would be best to just avoid the topic of food right now, especially after hearing how Hook felt about her appearance.

She peered at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and realized she barely recognized herself. She seemed weaker, somehow. As if what had just happened changed her and she was no longer the tough, strong, brave Emma Swan and all that was left was a fragment of the old Emma.

She turned her head slightly, taking notice of a bruise that already started to form on her neck and she rubbed at it lightly to try and get the blood flowing to that spot but she winced from the pain.

She brought her hand up to her neck to use her magic to relieve some of the pain but once again, her hand shook and her magic refused to work so she took a pain reliever that she found under the cabinet and got ready for bed.

A half hour later, Emma was still wide awake in bed with a book in her lap that she was struggling to pay attention to. Hook walked in and headed toward her cautiously.

Emma did her best to smile and moved her hair so that it covered the bruise. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, whispering endless apologies once again.

Even though he was the reason for her pain, she sat there and let him try to comfort her. She knew it wouldn't be of any use though because she already felt broken and didn't know how to repair herself.

He sensed that she was tensing up so he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

"Please, baby. I'm sorry. Let me make it all better, okay? Let me make love to you. Don't you want us to be happy?"

The words danced through Emma's mind. Happy. She wondered if she'd ever truly know what that meant. Too tired to object, she just nodded against his chest then rolled over so he could get into bed.

He didn't hesitate and his mouth was on hers seconds later. Emma wished he had at least brushed his teeth so that she didn't have to taste the rum as he pushed his tongue into her mouth.

He did his best to be gentle, kissing her neck and slowly taking off her tank top and Emma realized she was way too tired to object and just let it happen as his hand began to wander down to her exposed hip.


	9. Hold On

**HOLD ON**

_Hold on, I still want you_  
_Come back, I still need you_  
_Let me take your hand, I'll make it right_  
_I swear I'd love you all my life_  
_Hold on, I still need you_

* * *

Emma paced the hard floor of the sheriff station, looking for something to keep her busy since she wasn't patrolling today. She jumped slightly when she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Oh, it's you." She said to Regina.

"You've been awfully jumpy lately," she pointed out before extending her hand and handing Emma a cup of coffee. "I'm here to return the favor." Regina stated with a smile.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that." Emma smiled and reached out to grab the coffee before taking a small sip. "Mmm, it's delicious."

"I know I didn't have to do it. I wanted to. Besides, it's an excuse to come and see you."

Emma's heart fluttered at the kind gesture and the sight of Regina's warm smile. They locked eyes and neither one of them dared to look away as a sense of calmness filled the room.

Emma was the first to break their eye contact as she cleared her throat. "Oh, uh. I should really get back to work…" She began. As much as she wanted to give in right then and there and ask Regina to stay, she knew it wasn't right.

Until that moment, Regina felt that she could possibly break through Emma's tough exterior, slowly but surely. But when Emma said she had to get back to work, Regina frowned.

"I can stay and keep you company if you'd like?"

"Um, no. I'm pretty busy so I won't be able to entertain you," she lied.

"I don't need to be entertained, I'm not a child. Just wanted to sit and keep you company but I can leave..." Regina frowned.

Emma nodded then turned away from the other woman, causing her long blonde hair to move behind her shoulder, and that's when Regina saw it.

"Emma! What the hell happened to your neck? Is that a bruise?" Regina demanded and walked up to Emma, brushing her hair back to get a better look at her neck. Emma flinched and then shrugged Regina off her.

"Hey, get your hand off! And no, it's not a bruise. I burned myself on my curling iron this morning." Emma spit out in defense.

"Hmm, Emma. That's funny because it's clearly a bruise and last time I checked, curling irons don't bruise..." She kept her eyes locked on the blonde, searching for any hidden signs or reactions. When Emma kept her face completely still and just blinked at the other woman, Regina was certain of what she already suspected.

"Don't worry, you don't have to say anything. I already know..." Regina whispered.

Emma's calm face shifted and her demeanor changed to an angry one. "Okay, you are really overstepping here. Please leave, Regina."

"Fine. If that's what you want..." She hesitated for a moment then turned toward the door.

But Emma didn't want her to go and she knew it, yet here she was watching the mayor walk out. As soon as Regina's hand made contact with the door handle, Emma spoke up.

"Wait. I have a question. Has your magic ever stopped working?"

Regina turned toward Emma but didn't move any closer. She just looked up at her through her sad eyes and nodded. "Yes, it would happen from time to time when I was younger and learning magic. If I was afraid, sometimes it wouldn't work. Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious, that's all."

"Why don't you use your magic to get rid of that mark you got? The one from _your curling iron_?" Regina's tone was full of sarcasm when she spoke the last half of her question.

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal. It doesn't hurt so I just let it be."

"If you say so. Well, I'll leave you to your work then." She said with a nod and Emma just nodded in return, unable to keep her eyes off Regina as she walked through the glass doors.

* * *

Regina's knocking started off gentle at first and when she received no response, she knocked louder and harder.

Finally, the front door swung open and she was greeted by the distasteful leather-clad pirate in the doorway.

"Regina, what are you doing here? Emma is at work if you're looking for her."

"Actually, I came to speak with you. May I come in?"

"Aye, come on in." Hook took a step back and gestured for her to walk inside.

Regina's stiletto heels clicked against the tile in the foyer. She started with some small talk to see if anything seemed off to her.

She made up an excuse regarding a surprise party she was hoping to throw for Emma's upcoming birthday.

He played along and said that sounded like a great idea and kept up a solid act. After 15 minutes of discussion, Regina figured she'd cut to the chase.

"One thing I did also come over here to mention was something odd that I saw today when I stopped by the sheriff station." She began.

"And what would that be?"

"You wouldn't happen to know how Emma ended up with a rather large bruise on her neck, would you?" She raised her eyebrow in suspicion, eyeing him up for any reaction.

"Bruise? On her neck? No, I can honestly say I don't have a clue what you're talking about and I didn't notice anything on her neck when I last saw her." Hook rambled, keeping his calm while coming up with an excuse. "Perhaps she got them on patrol yesterday or she had a run-in or mishap at work?" His defense was airtight and Regina grew annoyed, although she knew this would happen.

Regina laughed and rolled her eyes. "Ha! You and I both know Emma is stronger than any criminal in this town. The only person with an ability to hurt her would be someone she loves because she wouldn't want to fight back or hurt them. But let me make something clear, dear. Just because Emma won't hurt someone she loves doesn't mean I have any problem doing so." Regina's eyes became dark and she shined her manipulative smile that she had perfected over the years as queen.

"Is that a threat, your majesty?" Hook challenged.

Regina shrugged with a small smirk then glared back in his direction. "You'd think a pirate would be able to recognize a threat when he receives one. I presume you've gotten a great handful of them over your many years at sea, captain." She closed the front door behind her without giving him a chance to speak another word.


	10. Take It Out On Me

**TAKE IT OUT ON ME**

_And I don't know why you never say goodbye_  
_To whatever hell he's putting you through, I can't wait for you_  
To take it out on me, p _ut your lips on mine._  
_Let me take his wrong and make it right this time._  
_You can just come over, you ain't gotta call._  
_You always got a shoulder anytime it all goes bad, when you're about to break._  
_When you're mad as hell, you can always take it out on me._

* * *

As soon as Hook took the last bite of his dinner, Emma reached over and grabbed both of their plates and carried them to the sink. She lathered the dish sponge up with soap and began to glide it over the dishes in the sink, one at a time.

She didn't mind cleaning dishes by hand. In fact, she found it to be relaxing despite all the confusion she had been feeling lately. Thoughts of Regina filled her head again as she began to wash a glass and she wondered what it was about the woman that made her feel so much more safe. Was it because of her connection to Henry or the fact that they had so much in common? Was it because Regina always challenged her in a way nobody else managed to do, even though it sometimes drove her crazy? Or was it simply due to the fact that she always knew when something was wrong no matter how hard Emma tried to hide it?

Thoughts of Regina quickly vanished when Emma felt Hook come up behind her and brush her hair off her shoulder to one side. He leaned down to kiss her exposed skin.

"Thanks for dinner, love. It was delicious."

Emma mumbled, "Yeah, it's not like I have much of a choice." As much as she hated their fights, she was sick of pretending everything was okay between them. He apologized every time but what good was an apology when it just kept happening again and again on a vicious loop? Suddenly, Emma thought of her parents and her perfect fantasy in her mind with Killian and how she wanted the two of them to be better. She regretted the fact that she made the sarcastic comment and laughed it off, hoping he would think she said it as a joke.

"Seriously, Swan? I'm trying to make a nice gesture here and thank you for cooking. You're my girlfriend and it's your job to make sure I'm taken care of and you've been doing a great job."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Killian, it's not my job to take care of you. You're a grown man. I have no problem cooking for you, but you seem to be stuck in your old-fashioned, outdated gender roles from hundreds of years ago regarding what a woman's duties are and it's really getting frustrating." She sighed before continuing. "I don't want to fight. I just want you to know I'm happy doing stuff for you, but you need to stop expecting it from me and treating me like I'm here to serve you." Emma remained calm and internally patted herself on the shoulder for staying strong and taking a stand.

"I know, love. You're right." Emma's eyes widened as she heard him agree. "Let me show you just how much I appreciate you." He kissed her cheek then grabbed her waist and spun her around before kissing her lips. His mouth trailed down over her jawline and down her neck and when it came in contact with her bruised spot, she winced.

"Ouch, Killian. Please stop that. It hurts." She whispered.

He leaned back and studied the purple bruise that he caused, although he barely remembered it happening.

Suddenly, his eyes darkened. "You know... Regina stopped by the house earlier."

"What? Why? What did she say?" Emma's panic was evident but she didn't know how to hide it.

"She saw the bruise on your neck and came to threaten me. What the hell did you tell her?" He growled, his voice growing increasingly louder.

"I didn't tell her anything! She saw it when she stopped by the station and I told her it was a burn from my curling iron..."

"Why didn't you cover it up with some makeup? How retarded are you?"

Emma's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She could already tell where this was headed.

She snapped back at him, "Here's an idea. How about you keep your hands off me and I wouldn't have any bruises in the first place! Actually, here's a better idea... why don't you get out?"

She sprinted toward the steps and he chased after her.

"What do you mean get out?" He shouted as she reached the top of the stairs. "This is my home, too, Swan."

"This isn't even _my home_!" She retaliated and he just looked at her with confusion. Her face just fell and she shook her head.

"Have you lost it? What the devil are you talking about?"

"I don't feel safe here. I want you to leave, do you hear me?"

He gripped her arm tightly and pulled her close to him. "Please, don't do this. I'll sleep on the couch. I'm sorry!"

As his grip tightened, the pain just fueled the fire and made Emma more angry.

"Your apologies mean nothing, Hook! Now take your hand off me and let me go to bed!"

She fought to wiggle out of his grasp and when he didn't let go, she yanked her arm back harder. Hook loosened his grip at that same moment and Emma rolled backward down the steps, landing with a thump on the center landing step and smacking her head against the railing.

She yelled out in pain and tried to move as she fought back the tears stinging her eyes, refusing to give him the satisfaction in seeing her defeated.

"Emma, oh my god! Are you okay?" He rushed down a few steps in her direction and Emma put her hands up to throw him back with her magic, but her hands just started shaking as she saw him darting toward her.

He leaned down beside her and helped her stand up. "Baby, are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"Of course I'm fucking hurt!" Emma couldn't say anything else, she just grumbled and slowly stood up. "Please," she whispered with tired eyes. "Just go sleep on the couch tonight."

He nodded in defeat and walked down the rest of the stairs and into the kitchen. Emma didn't care to keep watching him, she slowly climbed the steps, pushing away the pain she felt pulsing through every inch of her body.

She wiggled under the covers in an attempt to find comfort. But she was too furious right now to sleep. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Regina.

_I really don't appreciate you showing up at my house. You're not making anything better, you just made things worse._

Her phone chimed moments later and she read Regina's response.

_Worse? What happened? I swear, if he hurt you, I will kill that pirate without even batting an eyelash._

The thought of Regina defending her made her feel loved, but she also didn't want anything like that to happen to Hook. She remembered the way he used to be when they first moved in... how happy they were. She ignored Regina's message and placed her phone on the nightstand but it started ringing three seconds later.

Before Emma even said hello, she heard Regina fuming on the other line.

"Emma, I'm here. What happened? Are you okay? I can poof over and come get you if you need -"

Emma interjected. "I don't need saving!" As soon as the words left her mouth, a pang of guilt washed over her. Part of her wished Regina were here to protect her in times like this when she wasn't strong enough to defend herself. She wanted Regina to make her pain go away.

But then Emma remembered it was partially Regina's fault. If she hadn't shown up here, maybe Hook wouldn't have gotten angry in the first place. Or maybe it was her fault, she thought. Maybe if she just did what she was told or if she had covered the bruise better, then she wouldn't be in this mess.

"I know you're strong, Emma. Nobody is doubting that. But I also know you don't like to ask for help or be vulnerable. You don't have to push me away, though." Regina whispered over the phone in a soothing voice, trying to comfort Emma.

"Stop calling me! Nothing happened. I'm fine! I certainly don't need your protection, I can take care of myself so stop making things worse because I'm handling it." She clicked the end button before Regina could say another word.

The sting hit both women at the same time, despite them being apart.

Emma felt numb to it at first but it felt as if Regina was forcing her pain to snake its way inside her and face it. But she refused to feel hurt. So instead, she just felt frustrated and didn't know what to do from here.

On the other side of the silent phone, Regina let out a loud sigh as she realized Emma hung up and clutched her pillow tightly to her chest. All she wanted to do was save Emma somehow and take away her suffering. It was as if she felt responsible for her pain, even though she knew the only one responsible here was that pirate, and Regina gave in and did something she hadn't done in a long time. She let the tears fall from her brown eyes.

Both girls suffered, just a few miles apart, pushing through the pain until they drifted to sleep.

* * *

Another nightmare forced Emma awake. She rolled over and let out a breath of relief when Hook wasn't in the bed beside her. She glanced at the clock and the bright red numbers informed her that it was a little after 1 am.

She sat up and inhaled slowly through her nose and let the air out of her lungs through her mouth to try and calm herself down. Her breathing was jagged and uneven and suddenly the events that occurred just a few hours ago consumed her. She threw the covers off her body and looked down, noticing a handful of new bruises beginning to form from her fall. The worst part was how much her head ached from where it hit the railing.

Then she remembered Regina's voice on the other end of the phone. Sure, Emma was furious, but just thinking about the other woman seemed to be helping her calm down a bit. She climbed out of bed and ran to her closet to throw on sweatpants then tiptoed down the steps.

Hook was passed out on the couch and a glass of rum was on the coffee table in front of him. She gave him a look of disgust and slowly closed the front door behind her as she braved the cold air and walked away from the house.

When she reached her destination, she pulled out her phone and called Regina, who answered after one ring.

"Emma, it's the middle of the night. Are you okay? Do you need something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Can you let me in?"

Regina was confused but ran down the steps in nothing but her silk pajama set and opened the door, letting the cold air hit her as she took in the sight of Emma: Fragile and eyes full of sadness, wearing sweatpants that were struggling to stay up on her slender hips, a white tank top that left little to the imagination, smudged mascara, hair up in a loose ponytail.

Emma's entire body shook and Regina didn't hesitate as she pulled her inside and wrapped her in her arms. She didn't know if she was shaking from the cold night air or from something else, but as soon as Emma was in Regina's warm arms, she let a tear fall but quickly wiped it away. Regina noticed but didn't say a word.

"It's okay, Emma. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." She whispered against the blonde's hair, running her ringers gently over her back.

Emma leaned away for a moment and locked eyes with Regina, who noticed that her green eyes looked darker and more afraid than ever before.

Then, something jolted Emma to do something she didn't expect to ever do. Before she knew it, she pushed Regina backward against the wall and kissed her, gently but full of need.

Regina pulled away and looked at Emma. "What was that for? What's going on?"

"I need you," Emma whispered and Regina's stomach fluttered and she gasped softly. Emma stared at her and whispered, "Please, Regina."

"I'm not going anywhere." The brunette took Emma's hand, interlacing their fingers, and pulled her onto the sofa so that Emma was on top of her.

Emma leaned in and kissed her again and Regina parted her lips, allowing Emma's tongue to slip inside. Regina made sure to be gentle as she let her hands wander down toward Emma's hips, tracing imaginary circles over the sensitive, barely exposed areas of her hip bones where her tank top bunched up. Emma had one hand laced through Regina's hair, holding her tightly as if she was afraid she'd pull away, little did she know, Regina had no intention of going anywhere.

Regina rolled them both over so she was on top of Emma now and she sat up and pulled her silky top over her head and threw it to the side.

Emma took a minute to memorize every inch of Regina's exposed body before sitting up and kissing her neck, trailing her open mouth along her delicate collarbone then down to her breasts. With each kiss and light suck, Regina's moans grew louder and Emma felt warmth pool in her core. She leaned back and pulled off her tank top.

"God, I've wanted this for so long." Emma moaned as Regina's silky, warm, tanned skin brushed against Emma's soft pale skin. "I just didn't think I could ever have it..."

Their mouth's connected once again, both eager to have their lips on each other. Regina pulled away to make a trail down Emma's jawline then kissed down her toned stomach. She teased Emma with her fingers as she traced small circles at the hemline of her sweatpants and Emma's soft moan was enough of a cue for Regina to quickly remove any remaining articles of clothing that separated them.

Emma laid back on the couch and Regina stopped to take in the sight. When she saw all the bruises on Emma's body, she frowned but didn't say a word. Instead, she kissed every single one and then waved her hand over each and used her magic to make sure they weren't causing Emma any pain or discomfort.

"Thank you," Emma whispered, her eyes full of warmth and appreciation.

Regina nodded then began to tease Emma by kissing up and down her inner thigh until Emma begged.

As soon as Regina's warm mouth made contact with Emma's sensitive clit, Emma arched her back and tried her best to contain her moans.

Emma came quickly but it caused her entire body to convulse in waves of pleasure that she had never experienced before. As she came down from her high, she pulled Regina up to her, holding her tight as she kissed her again with even more need than she thought was possible.

Regina gasped against Emma's mouth as the blonde glided her finger up and down Regina's soaked folds then buried two fingers deep inside of her. Regina struggled to keep her lips on Emma's as her moans grew louder with each thrust but Emma couldn't get enough and kept pulling her back to her, eager to have their lips together. As Regina came, Emma bit lightly on the brunette's bottom lip then kissed her forehead as she calmed down.

Regina brushed a stray hair that fell from Emma's ponytail out of her face and smiled at her before kissing her again and whispering, "I hope I helped."

Emma nodded but the sadness in her eyes returned when she realized she needed to leave. She stood up and got dressed quickly.

"You can spend the night here. You don't have to go, Emma."

But it was too late. Emma was already out the door before Regina could finish her sentence.


	11. Stay

**STAY**

_My heart's on my sleeve, but it's turning black_  
_Without your touch I'm not gonna last_  
_Feels like my walls are caving in_  
_And I'd do anything to have you here again_  
_But if I told you I loved you, would it make you wanna stay?_

* * *

"Swan! Wake up! Answer your bloody phone already."

"Hmm?" Emma mumbled as Hook's yelling snapped her out of her sleeping state. She opened her eyes for a second then closed them again and pulled the covers over her head and groaned, wishing she could go back to her dream where Regina's warm soft body was against hers and her arms were around her, keeping her safe.

Then she gasped as she remembered that her dream wasn't a dream… she actually did show up at Regina's house in the middle of the night. She opened her eyes and sat up and at the same time, Hook threw her cell phone at her and it bounced off her shoulder and fell onto the comforter.

"Your damn phone has been beeping and ringing all morning and woke me up." He complained and walked out of the room and into the bathroom.

She rolled her eyes at him then unlocked her phone, revealing a handful of missed text messages and calls from Regina.

 **2:13 am:** Did you make it home alright?  
**2:18 am:** We should talk about what happened.  
**2:28 am:** Are you okay? You're starting to worry me.  
**3:01 am:** I hope you're asleep…  
**8:06 am:** Missed call from Regina  
**8:08 am:** Missed call from Regina  
**8:11 am:** Emma, please answer your phone when you see these messages.

Emma groaned, frustrated that Regina was bombarding her. But she knew it was just out of concern and probably confusion after what happened.

She quickly typed a response that she knew would keep Regina calm: _Yes, I made it home and I'm okay. Now stop worrying about me and do not respond to this message._

Hook walked back into the bedroom and Emma tucked her phone away under her thigh in case Regina didn't listen and ended up texting her back.

"You look like a million bucks, babe." Hook laughed sarcastically, taking in the sight of her disheveled hair, wrinkled clothes and smudged makeup.

"Well, I did fall down the stairs yesterday…" She grumbled and gritted her teeth.

He ran to her side and sat down on the bed beside her. "Are you feeling okay or are you in pain still?" His concern irked Emma. It was as if he didn't even think that her fall was his fault.

"No, no. I'm not in pain."

"I'm sorry for arguing. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you, love. I appreciate everything you do and all I want is to make you happy." He leaned in and kissed her mouth. Even his softest kisses paled in comparison to the way Regina's full, soft lips felt against hers. Hook's scruff rubbed against her jawline, scratching her, as he nuzzled closer against her and attempted to cuddle up to Emma.

Emma whispered, "I'm sorry, too." Although she was unsure what she was apologizing for. Maybe for seeking out Regina in a time of desperation instead of trying to work things out with Killian? She draped an arm over him and he pulled her closer and kissed her again and she let him caress down the side of her body. Emma closed her eyes and pretended it was Regina's smaller hand who was rubbing her and not him but she stayed quiet and let it happen.

"How about I make us breakfast to make up for last night?" He suggested and she raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly are you going to make?" She bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to imagine what he'd be able to successfully cook for them.

"It's a surprise. Go get dressed and I'll have it ready when you come down."

She nodded and went to jump in the shower. She stripped off her clothes and stared at herself in the mirror. The bruises were already beginning to fade and she assumed it had to be due to Regina healing them yesterday. But they still were visible against her fair complexion and she frowned.

The feeling of the warm water running down her bare back comforted Emma as she reached for the shampoo. Once again, thoughts of Regina danced into her mind and this time, she let them.

She closed her eyes and remembered the way Regina's body looked as Emma straddled her waist and looked down at her bronzed skin, eager to kiss every inch of it and thank her for making her feel safe.

She dried off then wiggled her jeans up onto her waist, clipping her sheriff badge onto her waistband, then threw on a tank top and her leather jacket. She quickly curled her hair then made her way down the steps, avoiding any thoughts of what happened on that staircase last night.

When she walked into the kitchen, she smiled when she saw Hook was doing his best to flip the pancakes in the pan.

"Here, let me help you," she laughed and grabbed the spatula out of his hand.

"Aye, thanks, love. I'll grab us some juice."

She took a bite and smiled at him again. "Thanks for offering to make breakfast. I probably would've been late for work if I had to cook. I forgot to set my alarm for this morning so I guess it's a good thing you woke me up."

"Of course. I told you I want to make you happy."

"You do, Killian."

He smiled and stood up. "To hell with pancakes, come here." He leaned in and kissed her a little harder than she expected. She kissed him back and he pushed her backward until her lower back made contact with the countertop.

' _Finally_ ,' Emma thought. She was happy he was back to himself again, doing things that made her happy and treating her like an equal and not like she was there to serve him.

She laughed and smiled against his mouth when he picked her up and lifted her onto the counter and his tongue explored the inside of her mouth.

Emma pulled away quickly, "oh, babe. I'm gonna be late!" She started climbing off the counter and rushed to grab her keys.

He groaned. "Fine, we will finish this tonight." She smiled and kissed him before running out the door.

* * *

When she got to the station, her father was already there sorting through some case files.

"Hey, good morning, sweetie!" David said to his daughter and kissed her on the forehead.

"Sorry I'm late. I forgot to set an alarm!" She laughed as she gave her excuse, although she knew her dad wouldn't mind anyway.

"How come that doesn't surprise me?" He laughed.

They both sat and did work for a while and Emma was the first to break their silence.

"Hey, Dad. Can I ask you something?" She began to speak and he picked his head up and looked back in her direction.

"Of course!"

"Do you and mom ever fight?" She tilted her head waiting for a response.

"Yeah, sure. We have disagreements all the time. It's only natural when you're in a relationship. Why? Have you and Killian been fighting?"

She hesitated for a second and chewed on her bottom lip. "Mmm, not too often. But it seems like we've been fighting more than we used to."

David stood up from his chair and walked over to his daughter and sat on the desk. He grabbed her hand and gave her a warm smile.

"Fighting is normal in a relationship. Hell, your mom and I fell in love that way. She robbed my carriage and I trapped her in a tree..." he laughed, reminiscing on their perfect fairytale romance. Emma smiled but knew it was different.

"Do you think Mom has ever been scared of you?" Her voice was softer as she asked her question and David stood up and came even closer to his daughter, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"No, of course not. Emma, what's wrong? Did Hook do something to you that make you scared?" His face fell and his expression was a mix of both anger and disappointment.

Emma suddenly realized that this was a terrible idea to bring up the topic in the first place. He and Snow both loved Killian and were happy that she found her happiness. She also knew Killian was changing and those few mishaps were just an accident, but he would never truly go out of his way to hurt her. He even said it himself this morning that he wants to prove he's worthy and make her happy.

Emma searched her head for the perfect excuse. "No, no, it's not like that at all. In fact... I was asking because I am nervous he's scared of me sometimes."

David shot her a confused look, clearly not understanding where she was going with this. And frankly, Emma wasn't too sure if she knew either.

"It's just that he knows I'm working all day and hold all the power in our relationship. And on top of that, I have magic. I wonder if that ever intimidates him or makes him afraid of me." She sighed and dropped her gaze, unable to look her father in the eye.

"Sweetie, you know he loves you tremendously. We all know it. You can tell just by the way he looks at you and worships you. He doesn't care if you have magic, it's part of what makes you so special."

"You're right. Thanks, Dad. I love you. I'm gonna go patrol for a little... make sure everything is okay around Storybrooke. You've got everything handled here?"

He nodded and hugged Emma before she went out.

Emma climbed into the patrol car but instead of going toward Main Street, she look a left and headed toward the mayor's office.

* * *

"Oh, thank god you're okay. You had me worried after your message this morning." Regina said as Emma pushed open the door to her office.

"I told you I was fine, remember? I don't need you to check up on me."

"Yes, Emma. I know what you said. I also know that you showed up at my house last night at 1 AM covered in bruises. What happened to you? Did Hook hurt you?"

"No, it wasn't him. I fell down the stairs like a clumsy idiot," she lied and wasn't sure if she wanted Regina to see through her lie or not.

Regina raised an eyebrow, not buying it for a second. "Right." She said flatly. She knew not to push it though. "Well, dear. You _are_ pretty clumsy... but I'm glad you're alright now."

"Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" Emma asked and walked closer to Regina who was standing with her thighs leaning against the desk.

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Remember how you healed my bruises for me so they wouldn't hurt anymore?" She asked and Regina nodded, waiting for her to continue. "Well... when I fell, I also hit my head. I took some Advil this morning but it doesn't seem to be helping much. Do you think you could help with that?"

Her eyes were full of desperation and Regina noticed. All she wanted to do was run up to the blonde and hold her tighter, ensuring she never felt pain again. Instead, she walked up to Emma, refusing to break eye contact, and brushed Emma's hair back behind her ear, causing Emma to inhale sharply as a reaction to her touch.

"Where does it hurt?" Regina asked.

Emma pointed to the back of her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the pain was gone and she whispered, "thank you."

Regina nodded then walked back toward her desk.

"Regina - wait." Emma yelled, reaching for her hand.

Emma spun her around and pulled her close against her body. They both locked eyes again, their faces only an inch apart and Emma bit her lip.

Regina refused to pull away but also didn't want to do anything that would cause Emma to run out of here and ruin this moment. She couldn't bear to see her leave again.

As Regina's mind flooded with the memories of last night, she squirmed under Emma's glance and her heart raced but her eyes stayed locked on Emma's bright green eyes. Then she finally gave in and did what she knew Emma was hoping for her to do.

Regina wrapped her arm around the back of Emma's head and pulled her in until their lips came together. Emma moaned against her lips and Regina felt her stomach flutter as she deepened the kiss. She could feel Emma's racing heart against her chest and she realized this is what she'd been craving all these years.

Regina ran her fingers through Emma's hair and Emma kept her hands on Regina's waist, as if she was scared Regina would move away. The desperation from both of them was overwhelming and Regina wanted more.

She slid a hand down Emma's side then tugged at the hem of her tank top, silently asking for permission.

When Emma moaned and nodded against Regina's lips, Regina let her hands wander up Emma's tank top until she reached the bottom of her bra and she traced over it then teased along the crevices of Emma's cleavage.

Emma lifted Regina up and gently placed her on the desk then moved her hand down to the bottom of Regina's skirt, which was bunched up from Emma's body being pressed against Regina's. The feeling of her pantyhose and her warm skin against Emma's hand made Emma's center ache in the best way possible.

"I want you so badly, Emma." Regina's deep, raspy voice echoed in Emma's ear and Regina kissed down her neck again, sending tingles down her spine. But instead of that fueling her, it made her freeze instead.

Emma pulled away and Regina looked up at her from her spot on top of the desk, her pupils dilated and her lips parted.

"I can't do this. I'm with Killian." Emma whispered and shook her head.

"He hurts you, Emma. I know he does. You don't need him to be happy, believe me." She reached out to grab Emma's hand and Emma yanked it back in resistance.

"He doesn't hurt me. You don't know what you're talking about." She yelled as she stormed out of the office, leaving Regina on the desk with her jaw on the ground and her eyes full of despair.

* * *

When Emma got home, she smiled when she saw Killian on the couch watching TV with no drink in sight.

"Good afternoon, handsome." She whispered into his ear and kissed his cheek.

"How was work, love?" He asked with a smile and pulled her onto his lap and tickled her.

She laughed and said her day was fine at work. She smiled again, realizing she was right that the old Killian was back and they were happy again.

His smile quickly dissolved and his face grew hard as he spat out, "And how was your visit with Regina at the mayor's office?"

Emma cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean, babe?"

"I saw the patrol car parked outside her office. So I figured I'd wait and see how long you'd stay there for. It seems like you had a really nice, long visit with your dear friend, the Evil Queen." He rolled his eyes and furrowed his brow.

"I told you she's not evil, stop calling her that. And yes I did visit her. She's the mayor and I'm the sheriff and I had work-related matter that needed to be handled."

"Whatever you say, Swan."

They ate dinner in silence and then went up to bed.

"Is it alright if I sleep here tonight?" He asked innocently.

Emma hesitated for a second then nodded. "Yeah, sure. Just don't push me down any stairs tonight, okay?"

Hook's eyes went dark and he charged over to her. "Push you? I didn't push you! **You** were fighting **me** and you fell. You seriously think I'm that much of a monster that I'd go out of my way to hurt you like that? God, Emma. What kind of man do you think I am?" He shouted.

Emma just shrugged and didn't say a word.

"I asked you a question. Answer me. Is that the kind of person you think I am?"

She shook her head and he pushed her backward onto the floor. "If that's what you think of me, then that's what you deserve!"

She gritted her teeth and stood up, fuming, as she swung her arm back and punched him square in the jaw.

"I told you to never fucking push me or touch me again. Now that's what you get. Don't you dare hurt me because you know I'm just as strong as you are and I can and will hit back. Now get the hell out of this room and let me sleep!"

He shoved her harder onto the bed and climbed on top of her, pinning her arms down above her head so she couldn't move. "You really think you're stronger than me?" He laughed and it sounded unrecognizable to Emma. He was mocking her and didn't believe she was strong enough.

She brought her knee up and kneed him in the balls and he released his grasp on her wrists and rolled over in pain.

"That's what I thought. Now go sleep downstairs and we can talk about this in the morning!"


	12. She Used To Be Mine

**SHE USED TO BE MINE**

_She's imperfect, but she tries._   
_She is good, but she lies._   
_She is hard on herself._   
_She is broken and won't ask for help._

* * *

Emma never fell asleep after Hook went downstairs. Instead, she sat up in bed engulfed in the peaceful silence.

She heard the faint sound of his snoring in the distance every once in awhile and she turned her head to look at the clock. It was only a little before midnight, but she already accepted that she wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and checked her lock screen for notifications. Nothing. Instead, she just saw a picture of herself and Henry smiling back at her.

Her heart sank when she thought of Henry. It had been days since she last saw him. All those years ago when she gave him up, she never would have thought she'd end up here. Living in a cursed town in Maine surrounded by fairytale characters. The daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. In a relationship with Captain Hook. In love with the Evil Queen.

She froze and her eyes grew three sizes as that last thought crossed her mind. She never admitted that to herself before, even though deep down she always knew. And right now, Regina was what she craved.

This time, she took the time to brush her hair and put on something a little more flattering, suddenly realizing she wanted to impress the other woman. She quickly ran out of the house without waking Hook and made her way down the dark, abandoned roads of Storybrooke.

She didn't bother to call. Instead, she knocked lightly on the front door and waited, hoping Regina was awake and waiting for her to show up.

Regina opened the door right away and pulled Emma inside.

"I was hoping you'd come," Regina whispered.

Emma remained silent but smiled, keeping her eyes locked on Regina. Her gaze traveled down her body then slowly back up, taking in the sight of the way her dark, silky nightgown was leaving little to the imagination and clinging to her in all the right places. The sight of Regina's toned, bronzed legs that were barely covered by the fabric was causing Emma's pulse to quicken.

Regina slid Emma's coat off and placed it neatly on the arm of the sofa. "How about we take this upstairs to my bedroom?"

Emma's eyes lit up when she realized Regina knew why she was here and what she needed right now.

"Yes. Please." She said with a firm nod.

Regina poofed them up into her bedroom in a cloud of smoke and Emma blushed at how eager she was. The second the bedroom appeared around them, Emma took in the sight of it again. Even this late at night, the room was still perfectly immaculate. And she intended to change that.

Regina was the first to make a move this time, playfully pushing Emma back on the bed and climbing on top of her.

"I couldn't stay away, I'm sorry." Emma said as she felt Regina's warm body on top of her and Regina responded by crashing her lips down onto hers with so much need and desire.

Emma parted her lips to allow their tongues to mesh together and both of them moaned at the feeling.

Regina kept the kisses gentle, but occasionally nibbled and sucked on Emma's bottom lip, causing a louder moan to escape from the blonde's throat and Regina couldn't get enough of the sound as she relished in the way Emma tasted.

As Regina broke the kiss to make her way down Emma's jaw line toward her neck, Emma reached her arms up to grab ahold of Regina's hair and Regina froze.

"What is it?" Emma asked, tilting her head up as she looked her in the eyes again.

Regina shook her head and averted her gaze for a moment then grabbed Emma's hands, flipping them over to study her wrists.

Two dark purple bruises were already beginning to form and Regina gasped.

"Emma!" Regina didn't mean to sound like she was yelling at her, it was more out of fear for what happened to her. She softened her voice when Emma looked away. "You can't possibly tell me these are from falling..."

Emma shrugged then came up with a lie that she knew would hurt Regina, but it was the only thing she could think of. "Oh, uhhh. Um - I sometimes like when Hook is rough in bed and last night I asked him to pin me down. I guess I didn't realize how tight his grip was."

Regina's face fell, bouncing the thought around in her head, but then she raised an eyebrow. "Emma... you were with me last night."

"Oh, it happened before I came here."

"You didn't have these bruises last night. You're lying."

"I did have them. Maybe you didn't notice?" Emma shrugged.

"Emma, these are fresh bruises. I know you're lying."

"Can you just shut up and kiss me, please?"

Regina shot her a look and Emma locked eyes with her, Emma's eyes full of sadness and need.

"Regina, please."

Instead of kissing her, Regina laced her fingers through Emma's then brought one bruised wrist to her lips, kissing it gently, then did the same to the other. Then she let go of one of her hands and rubbed her thumb over Emma's wrists gently to make the bruises disappear.

"I may not be able to erase the emotional pain or the memory, but that's the least I can do to help."

"Thank you," Emma whispered.

Regina responded by placing a gentle kiss on her forehead then reached down to grip the hem of Emma's shirt and tugged it upward. Emma sat up and assisted her, then slipped Regina's nightgown over her head and tossed it on the bedroom floor, leaving her completely exposed.

Emma laid her down on the bed and crawled over her, fulfilling her fantasy that she couldn't get out of her head earlier that day where she kissed every inch of the woman's silky body. By the time she finished teasing her with feather-light kisses, Regina was quivering at Emma's touch as she finally trailed her last few kisses up her inner thigh and reached the destination they were both eager for her to finally reach.

The sounds Regina made were causing Emma's own arousal to pool under her on the sheets and she smiled and grabbed ahold of Regina's thighs, desperate to taste every drop of her.

Regina gripped the back of Emma's head and combed her fingers through her blonde hair to brush it out of her face and when her orgasm washed over her, she held Emma tighter, screaming her name between deep, loud moans that Emma feared would wake up Henry, but she didn't care at this point. She was too consumed with the feeling that was fluttering in her stomach knowing she gave Regina so much pleasure and caused her to make sounds that were so overwhelmingly wonderful.

Emma felt breathless, with heat radiating through her chest and she was certain it was no longer just from her lust and desire for the woman under her. She rolled onto the spot next to Regina on the bed, wrapping her tightly and holding her as if she were afraid she'd try to escape. But Emma knew Regina wouldn't go anywhere because she wasn't the one to run, Emma was.

Regina smiled at Emma, her body tingling in pleasure and her cheeks flushed, then she nuzzled her head into Emma's bare chest as her heart rate tried to slow down.

Emma trailed her fingertips up and down Regina's arm, relishing in the softness of her skin once again.

Although they were both enjoying the comfortable silence, Emma decided to break it and whisper in Regina's ear, "I think we probably should've put up a spell or something to soundproof the bedroom. You were pretty loud..." She tickled Regina, who was a lot more ticklish than Emma anticipated as she started laughing and squirming in her arms.

"Ah, so you're ticklish? Good to know you have a weakness, your majesty." Emma said with a wink.

Regina caught her breath. "I punish people for tickling me! Don't do it again. Also, I'm way ahead of you on the whole soundproof thing, don't worry."

Emma laughed and then kinked an eyebrow. "What kind of punishment are we talking about here?"

Both women broke into laughter as Regina flipped them over and they locked eyes. She looked down at Emma and noticed that she was glowing. "Are you happy, Emma?"

Emma wrapped both arms against Regina's body, pulling her body flush against hers and kissed her lips. "I am happy when I'm here. Or when I'm with you and Henry. Nothing makes me happier."

"You could have this, you know? It's all yours to take. I'm ready when you are."

Emma's pulse quickened and she felt safe, like she was at home. Something she didn't know she was ever capable of feeling.

But then she shook her head and pressed her lips together. "No, I can't." She whispered. "But for now, I'm going to enjoy feeling like I'm finally home."

Regina kissed her again as she heard Emma admit that this felt like home to her. They refused to break contact as they both fell asleep in each other's arms, snuggled tightly under the warmth and comfort of Regina's bed sheets.

* * *

Regina's alarm woke them both up bright and early and Emma groaned when she felt Regina sit up in bed.

"No, don't go. Not yet." Emma mumbled, still half asleep.

"Emma, I'm not the one running away. I'll be right back." Regina stated with a frown as she walked toward the bathroom.

Emma jolted upright in bed and looked at the clock when she realized this wasn't just a dream.

"Shit! How did I fall asleep here?" Emma yelled to herself as she heard the sound of the shower turning on. She threw on her clothes and sprinted toward the front door.

When Regina walked out of the bathroom in her towel, her face fell and an ache grew in her chest as she was greeted by the empty room.

* * *

Emma opened the door as quietly as possible but there was no point. Hook was standing in the living room waiting for her.

"Where the bloody hell were you? I went to check on you in bed when I woke up this morning and you were gone!" He yelled and Emma sighed.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down as she attempted to make her magic work. Luckily, two breakfast sandwiches appeared in her hands behind her back.

"I ran out to grab us some breakfast sandwiches, babe. Do you want the bacon, egg and cheese or the sausage?" She asked casually, keeping her cool and internally thanking the magical gods that her magic didn't fail her this time.

"Oh! I'll take the bacon. Thanks, love!" He reached out and smiled.

"Not a problem. Listen, I have to head over to the station soon so I should probably go shower…"

"I want to talk about what happened last night and apologize."

"No need, all is forgotten," Emma lied as she ran up the stairs to get ready for work.

When she got to the station, she remembered she was working alone today. After doing some paperwork, she powered on the computer and decided this was a safe place to do some research.

She pulled up the search window and typed "domestic violence" into the search bar and hit Enter.

She clicked on the first result and began reading about early signs. She skimmed the questions for emotional abuse:

_Do you feel afraid of your partner?  
_ _Do you avoid certain topics out of fear of angering your partner?  
_ _Do you feel like you put a lot of the blame on yourself?  
_ _Does your partner belittle or yell at you?  
_ _Does your partner criticize or put you down?  
_ _Does your partner ignore your opinions?  
_ _Does your partner blame you?  
_ _Does your partner see you as property?  
_ _Does your partner act excessively jealous and possessive?  
_ _Does your partner try to control where you go or what you do?  
_ _Does your partner try to keep you from seeing your friends or family?  
_ _Does your partner limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?_

When she found herself nodding her head to a lot of these questions, she continued reading. The next few paragraphs went over how physical violence can stem from the emotional abuse.

Words such as dominance, humiliation, isolation, intimidation and threats popped up at her. Then it spoke about a partner repeatedly apologizing for things that keep happening. She was about to read the paragraph about how to handle the situation and what the best way to get out of a dangerous relationship was when she felt someone approaching behind her.

Emma shuffled to close out of the browser window and whipped her head around, trying to steady her breathing.

"Regina? What are you doing here? You need to stop scaring me like this!"

"I came to talk about what's going on between us, Emma."

"What are you talking about? Nothing is going on between us. I'm with Killian."

Regina sighed but was tired of having this argument. She shook her head then whispered, "I saw your screen."

"What? Oh, that website? I was researching something for a case."

"Right… a case. Please, cut it with the lies. This is me. I saw the bruises. I know you. I can tell when you are telling the truth or not. I know exactly what's going on."

"I told you, I fell." Emma shifted in her chair, uncomfortable under Regina's glare as she saw right through her lies.

"What I can't understand is why you're protecting him? And I know you're stronger than he is. I've seen you take out some serious villains, you're certainly able to overpower a one-handed pirate… especially since you have magic." Regina walked closer to Emma and Emma stood up.

Emma let out the breath she was holding and her eyes filled with tears. "My magic doesn't work when I'm afraid."

Regina closed the space between them, engulfing the blonde in her embrace and Emma let out a loud sob as Regina just kept her tight in her arms.

Emma pushed back and looked at her. "I still love him; I don't want to hurt him."

"Emma, if he's hurting you, you need to do something about it."

"Regina, I can't!" She screamed then ran out of the station.


	13. Breathe Me

**BREATHE ME**

_Be my friend, hold me  
Wrap me up, unfold me_   
_I am small, I'm needy_   
_Warm me up and breathe me_

* * *

Regina kept alternating between sitting on the couch, pacing the foyer, glancing at the clock, and fixing her hair in the mirror. Emma would be knocking on her front door any minute and her heart was racing from the anticipation.

Despite their debacle at the station earlier today, she knew Emma would still show up at the house. But as it grew later and later, she started questioning just how certain she was.

She peered at the clock and sighed, realizing it was already 1:45 AM. She sat down on the couch again and leaned her head against the palm of her hands, letting her gaze fall.

When 2:00 came and went, she sighed and walked up the steps toward her bedroom, disappointed that she was going to bed alone tonight. She craved the feeling of Emma's warmth beside her and she was tired of hiding how she felt. She and Emma both knew they were well beyond the point of friendship.

Regina dozed off briefly as soon as her head hit the pillow, but it didn't last long. She sighed when she woke up again and looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was almost 3 in the morning. She quickly realized Emma never showed up. She shook her head and pressed her fingertips to her temple. Then she tugged at the end of her hair and tilted her head back, deep in thought. Something wasn't settling right for her and her mouth went dry as panic set in.

She jumped out of bed and sprinted down the steps to grab her coat from the closet. She slipped on a pair of flats and hurried out the front door in the direction of her car.

As she walked up the front steps of Emma and Hook's house, she worried she was overreacting or just being reckless or selfish showing up like this. But she didn't care. She waved her hand over the doorknob, using her magic to unlock it, then turned the knob and made her way inside.

She remained quiet, unsure what she even planned to do if she saw Hook. But the knot in her stomach told her she needed to make sure Emma was safe before she left.

She tiptoed up the steps, realizing she never went up to the second floor of their house before. When she reached the top of the stairs, she looked in both directions, unsure which way to proceed. Suddenly, a loud, muffled sob cut through the silence of the night.

She felt a wave of nausea as she bolted down the hall toward the sound, pushed open the bedroom door and took in the sight around her.

Emma sobbed again and Regina spotted her curled into a ball on the ground wearing only her underwear. Her tank top was on the floor next to her but was ripped and Hook was shirtless and unconscious on the bed, his pants unbuckled and a shiny bruise on his eye.

"Emma!" Regina called out as she sprinted toward Emma's side. "Emma, are you okay?"

Emma couldn't form words between her sobs so she shook her head slowly. Regina reached down to help her up and Emma winced loudly.

"No, please. Don't move me. I can't. It hurts." She choked.

Regina's eyes watered as her gaze fell over Emma's body, taking in her condition. The entire left side of her body was badly bruised in different shades of blue, purple and grey. Her hair was disheveled and she had scrapes on her arms, thighs and stomach.

When she noticed that Emma's underwear was ripped and stained with blood, Regina gasped and her hand squeezed tightly into a fist. She stood up and began to walk toward the pirate passed out on the bed, the desire for vengeance pumping through her veins as her blood boiled.

"Regina, please. Please, help." Emma whispered, pulling Regina back and washing away her need for revenge.

She ran to Emma's side again. "I'm right here. I promise, I have you. You're safe now."

She knew she wouldn't be able to move Emma without hurting her further so she poofed them back to her house and she watched Emma blink slowly and let out a soft sigh of relief as she realized she was safe in Regina's bedroom, her sobbing starting to slow.

She waved her hand over Emma's body slowly, letting the pain slowly melt away.

"I know I can only do so much, but that should help a little. I wish I could do more..." Regina said and dropped her head in disappointment.

Emma nodded and pulled Regina closer to kiss her softly.

"Can you stand? I'll help you."

Regina wrapped her arm around Emma's waist and Emma stood up slowly now that her bruises weren't causing her so much pain.

"Let's get you cleaned up." She walked Emma to the bathroom and started the bathtub. She cringed again at the sight of Emma's slender body covered in bruises and cuts. Regina pulled the underwear off her gently then helped her into the warm water.

Regina could tell Emma felt embarrassed being so fragile and vulnerable so she leaned in and kissed the top of her head.

"Emma, look at me."

Emma looked up and locked eyes with Regina, her eyes full of fear and sadness.

"Don't be afraid when you're around me. I'd do anything for you, do you understand me?"

Emma nodded slowly and whispered, "I don't deserve you."

"Shh."

"I don't. If anyone deserves happiness, it's you, Regina." Her voice was shaky and unsteady but she continued. "You are incredible and I want you to find your happy ending like I promised."

"Emma, do you not realize it by now? **You** are my happy ending. **You** are what I want. You, me, and Henry. Our family."

Emma wiped the tears from her eyes and her lips curled into a soft smile before Regina wet a washcloth then rubbed it over Emma carefully, erasing the traces of blood that lingered on her inner thighs and most intimate areas.

She wrapped Emma in a fluffy towel then went to grab her a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.

As soon as Emma was dressed, she didn't say a word, she just walked toward Regina's bed and pulled back the covers then wrapped herself in them like a cocoon.

Regina climbed into the bed on the other side, giving Emma plenty of space.

"Closer." She whispered, reaching out in attempt to pull her in. "Please."

Regina smiled, her stomach fluttering as she happily obliged and wiggled her way closer to the blonde.

"No, closer. Hold me, please. I need you." Emma's voice was full of desperation and Regina wasn't sure if her heart was going to shatter from hearing the pain in her tone or explode from happiness of Emma finally admitting she needed her.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's fragile frame but when she winced in return, she lightened her grasp and reached under her shirt to rub her back with her fingertips.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"Not yet, I just need you to hold me."

"I'm not going anywhere."


	14. Secrets

**SECRETS**

_Tame the wild nights and all the demons I was hiding in my silence  
Scream out all the words you should have heard but I let burn and never spoke since_   
_You've seen behind the smile, I know it's time to let this go…_   
_Take away my secrets, I don't need them anymore_   
_They're yours to keep now_   
_Take away the darkness_   
_All my secrets are yours_

* * *

Emma woke up to the sound of Regina's alarm going off early the next morning and she groaned.

Regina was already awake and showered. She walked to the alarm and dismissed the buzzing then turned to face Emma. "Good morning, how are you feeling?"

"Like I've been used as a human punching bag... Do we have to get up already?" Emma's bottom lip curled up slightly over her top lip.

"I do. But you aren't leaving me this time."

Emma blinked at her and tilted her head. "I don't want to leave, but I have work today."

"Already handled it. I called your mother." Regina said flatly.

Emma's eyes bulged and her jaw dropped. "You did what?! Regina!"

"Shh. You'll wake Henry up. Don't worry, I just told her we were hanging out last night and you got sick and stayed here and you need your dad to cover for you today."

"And they bought that?"

"Honestly, I can't say for sure. But we will worry about that later. Emma, I'm going to go wake Henry up for school and make his breakfast. But neither of us are going anywhere today, you hear me? We have a lot to talk about. You can't hide from the truth forever."

Emma frowned and was about to object when she realized Regina was right. "Fine. But right now I just want to sleep, okay?"

Regina nodded and tucked her in tighter under the covers then walked out of the room to go wake Henry up. After he was dressed and out the door on his way to school, Regina walked into the kitchen to make breakfast for Emma and herself.

She pushed open her bedroom door, carrying Emma's plate of bacon and eggs. When she saw that Emma had fallen back asleep, she set the plate down and climbed back into bed.

"I love you, Emma Swan." She whispered, brushing the loose hairs out of her face that fell from her ponytail. She kissed her cheek gently then wrapped her in her arms and closed her eyes.

* * *

Regina wasn't sure how long she fell asleep for, but she was woken up when she felt Emma shifting in the bed to get up.

She rubbed her eyes and looked up at Emma, "Ah hem, where are you going?"

Emma grinned mischievously and pointed one finger in the direction of the plate of food, causing Regina to laugh.

"Glad to see you still have your appetite. Although you do tend to eat like a 10-year-old." She laughed as Emma shoved an entire piece of bacon in her mouth and smirked while chewing.

She let Emma finish while she laid in bed, a feeling of calmness washing over her knowing Emma was here with her, safe and not running away.

"So, do you think you can tell me what happened? It's okay if you don't want to talk about it yet, but you will have to talk about it eventually and you know -"

Emma cut her off. "Regina, shh. I'll talk about it. I'll tell you. I **want** to tell you." She stood up and sat down on the bed next to Regina then began telling her what happened.

"I never expected it to get this far." She started. "When Killian and I moved in together, it felt like things were finally looking up for me. All my life, I was searching for a place that felt like home. I thought I finally found it when we moved in together. But I was wrong…"

Regina didn't say a word, urging her to continue, but briefly remembering how Emma told her the other night that being with her felt like home and she felt a warmth come over her.

"We got along just fine." Emma stated. "But then he started drinking more. Then it turned into him slowly manipulating me in ways I didn't even realize he was doing. He would take my car without asking, he'd blame me for things that weren't my fault, he'd get mad for not having dinner ready for him on time even after I was working all day… he would make small comments about my weight and then told me I had to sleep with him to repay him for not cooking dinner for him. He got very possessive. He got mad whenever I mentioned your name and told me I couldn't see or talk to you. I obviously didn't listen…"

Regina nodded, trying to understand why Emma didn't just leave right away but she didn't want to push her yet so she stayed quiet and let Emma continue.

"I'm a strong person. I know that. You know that. But because of that, I think I overestimated my ability to fall victim to this kind of control or abuse. So I just pretended it didn't hurt me and would make excuses for his behavior. I mean, everyone thought I was so happy. They all love him, well, everyone except you…"

Regina laughed and rolled her eyes and Emma continued.

"Hell, I love him, too. I just thought it was normal for people living together and in a long relationship to get in big fights and blame each other and belittle each other the way he did. It was hard to not make excuses and forgive his behavior. But then it kept getting worse… One night, he got angry at me for falling asleep on the couch and not waiting for him to come home before I ate dinner. He threw my wine glass across the room. It wasn't the biggest deal… I used my magic to clean up the mess then went to bed and he apologized. God, I was so weak. How did I not realize what he was doing as soon as it happened?"

Regina shook her head and whispered, "You're not weak, Emma. You're still strong."

"Well, that might have made it worse. He didn't like the fact that I wouldn't back down or give in. He wanted to prove he was stronger I guess."

"Why, what did he do?" Regina inched closer to Emma, furrowing her eyebrow.

"It slowly turned physical… smacking, pushing… but I handled it because I was able to hit back and he always apologized right away and made it up to me. But the first time I was _truly_ afraid of him was when he choked me. I don't even remember what I said that pissed him off. How sad is that?" She shook her head.

"I just remember we were arguing and suddenly he shoved me against the wall and had his hand wrapped around my throat. I didn't panic at first, I just lifted my hand to use my magic and just… nothing. It wouldn't work. My hand started shaking and I realized I was helpless. So I begged and pleaded and he stopped and then, like always, he apologized. Then there was the incident on the staircase. Yes, I did fall. He didn't push me. But we were fighting and I stormed up the steps and he had a death grip on my arm and I yanked myself out of his grasp and fell."

"That's just as bad as him being the one to push you, Emma, and you know that." Regina shook her head.

Emma paused for a minute, unable to address her comment, then continued. "The next night, we were fighting again and he shoved me to the ground. I was furious and stood up and punched him in the jaw, telling him I'm strong and will not let him hurt me and push me around because I _will_ fight back. I guess that pissed him off more than I anticipated because he threw me backward onto the bed and pinned my wrists above my head so I couldn't move. It hurt so badly, Regina." She let out a breath. "That's where the bruises came from and I'm so sorry for lying. I'm so so sorry. I kneed him in the balls and told him to go sleep downstairs and he listened. Then I came here once he fell asleep."

"Emma, you don't have to apologize for anything. You didn't do anything wrong. I just want you to be safe."

Emma swallowed, nodding, then took a few breaths. "And then last night happened…"

Regina could tell she was tensing up. She grabbed Emma's hand and laced her fingers through hers.

Emma swallowed again. "I got home from work and he wasn't there. I decided it would be a good idea to try and hide his rum stash. I thought that would help stop him from hurting me if he wasn't always drinking. But he came home late and was out at a bar I assume, judging by the fact that he was barely able to walk and was slurring his words. I told him I wanted to leave and wasn't happy with him anymore and he needed to be out by the morning or I would arrest him for assault."

Regina nodded, proud of Emma for taking a stand, then continued to remain silent so Emma could continue.

"He laughed at me, Regina! He fucking laughed. Then he told me nobody would want me because I'm too broken and nobody could love me or treat me as well as he does. And I started to believe him..."

"Oh, Emma." Regina's voice was soft but full of sadness and rage. "That's not true. You're not broken and believe me, many people love you tremendously. And to be honest, a brick wall could treat you better than he does!"

Emma didn't argue, she just nodded and continued. "I told him I wasn't in the mood to argue tonight and he was drunk and should just go to bed and I began to walk up the steps and he followed me upstairs. Once I reached the bedroom, I told him to go sleep on the couch again and before I could even finish my sentence, he slapped me…." She sighed and shook her head.

"Being the stubborn girl you know I am, I refused to let him win. I swung at him and gave him a black eye and felt so much better. Then I immediately regretted it because he shoved me on the floor and started kicking me." Emma's breath hitched as if she were choking back tears.

Regina couldn't tell if Emma was afraid, scared, or furious. Probably a combination of all three, because that's how she herself was feeling.

Emma stood up and faced Regina. "What kind of fucked up person would do that? I don't care how drunk you are. Slapping me is one thing. Kicking me is another."

"Emma, he shouldn't be hurting you at all. No matter the severity." Regina said sternly, pulling Emma closer to her and Emma sat back down.

"Yeah, you're right. But I didn't realize that until I let it get this far. It's all my fault. I should have left a long time ago but I was afraid. I didn't want to let everyone down and honestly, I felt like this is what I deserved."

"Nobody deserves that! Emma, you do realize how strong and impeccable you are? You're an inspiration and you're brave and smart and beautiful. You deserve the world."

"Well, Hook didn't think so. I was hunched on the ground trying to get him to stop kicking me. I was begging and crying out in pain and trying to use my magic but my whole body was trembling." Emma's voice trailed off and she went completely silent and swallowed.

"He finally did stop once I got to a point when I couldn't make another sound. It hurt so badly but I couldn't breathe and when I tried to speak, nothing came out." She finally let a tear fall and Regina grabbed her and pulled her into her arms.

"Then he grabbed me by the collar of my tank top and lifted me up by my shirt and when it ripped, my body just flung back down onto the ground and he crawled on top of me as he undid his pants." She inhaled a sharp breath and let it out slowly.

"I fought with every ounce of strength I had left inside of me but he kept clawing at me while I squirmed." She went silent, unable to say another word.

"He raped you? I swear to god I will kill him. He won't get away with any of this!"

Emma tilted her head and laid it on her shoulder and Regina rubbed her arm.

"It hurt so badly. I was screaming and I think I blacked out from the pain at one point. When I woke up, I saw him on the bed and I couldn't get up off the floor so I just started sobbing. I think you know the rest…" Emma said, her whole body trembling as she began to sob.

Regina's arms flew around Emma's body instantly and for what felt like the first time, Emma felt safe. Despite the tears pouring out of her eyes and the muffled sobs, she clung tightly onto Regina, silently praying the brunette would never let her go.

"Emma, look at me."

Emma lifted her head slowly, looking directly into Regina's dark eyes which were filled with tears of her own.

"If I could, I'd take away all your pain. I need you to know I'm here and you're safe now."

"Regina -"

"No, let me finish."

Emma cut her off by pressing her lips against hers before she could say anything else. Regina wasn't expecting it, but she happily deepened the kiss, brushing her hands through Emma's hair and rubbing her fingertips softly under her ear.

When they broke the kiss, Emma smiled at her.

"I don't want you to think that I was just using you, Regina. I was just afraid. I don't want to risk losing you... but I'd be an idiot if I waited any longer to tell you how I felt." She whispered.

Regina half laughed and half smiled and Emma squinted, confused.

"Yes, you do have a tendency to do idiotic things from time to time, don't you?"

"Hey! I'm trying to be honest here." Emma laughed and bit her lip.

"And I appreciate that, Emma. Believe me, I do. But if you think that you're going to lose me by telling me how you feel about me, then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought!" Regina laughed again and Emma was clearly confused so Regina just continued. "Emma, I've loved you for a very long time. I was just waiting for you to see that for yourself."

"You love me?" Emma said softly.

Regina nodded and Emma couldn't hide the grin that appeared on her face, her cheeks flushed and her lips parted.

"God, you're so perfect." Regina groaned as she pulled Emma on top of her and laid back on the bed, their lips clashing together instantly.

"You're my home, Regina. You and Henry are my happy ending. All this time, I thought I would never have it. But it was in front of me all along. Now I just need to figure out what to do about Hook. I don't think I can face him, not yet. Especially when my magic doesn't work."

"Well, luckily, my magic works and I can help you. I promise you, we'll get through this the same way we've gotten through everything… together."


	15. Take On The World

**TAKE ON THE WORLD**

_And just say the word, we'll take on the world  
And just say you're hurt, we'll face the worst_   
_Nobody knows you, the way that I know you_   
_Look in my eyes, I will never desert you_   
_And just say the word, we'll take on the world_

* * *

"I can't just up and leave him, Regina. First of all, that's dangerous. He could try to come after me or hurt me or worse - go after my family. Second of all, how do I face my parents and the rest of town?"

Emma was pacing the bedroom, contemplating her best course of action. Regina stood and approached her before placing her hands on both of her shoulders to stop her in her tracks and look her in the eyes.

"Emma, you don't need to make excuses. You and I both know that as soon as your parents find out what he did to you, they wouldn't question your decision to leave. And I promise you, if he _ever_ tries to come after you or hurt you again, he won't be dealing with Regina. He'll be facing the Evil Queen and I have no problem taking care of that no-good pirate after what he did to you!"

Emma's lips curled into a soft smile, knowing Regina was being completely serious about her promise. "But where would I even go? How do I just leave? I have nowhere to go..."

"You already know the answer to that. You'd live here. With your family. With Henry and me."

Emma's body tingled and she whispered, "My _home_."

" **Our** home. Because you're mine, too. I'm not letting you run away this time," Regina said as she leaned in toward Emma to kiss her forehead delicately. "And I'll help teach you how to channel your fear into your magic so you'll never have to worry about it not working again. You should always feel strong and able to defend yourself, even though I'll be by your side just in case."

Emma's stomach fluttered as butterflies flapped rigorously inside her. She pushed Regina onto the bed and their lips were against each other's the instant her back hit the comforter.

Emma broke the kiss and started laughing and Regina furrowed her brow. "What are you laughing at?"

"Remember when you used to hate me? Look how far we've come."

"Emma…" Regina said softly. "Hate is a strong word."

"You hated me!" She laughed. "We can both admit that. But want to know a secret?"

Regina nodded then raised an eyebrow.

"I loved knowing how easy it was for me to get under your skin, so I always did everything I could to defy you... just to drive you nuts. In fact, I enjoyed it much more than I should have." Emma smirked.

"Well, dear, you certainly did a great job. But I will admit that I enjoyed it, too. You're the first person to ever defy me like that and live to tell the tale."

Emma's smirk turned into a light laugh and Regina couldn't help but smile back at her seeing how genuinely happy she looked.

Before Emma could even think it through, she blurted out what she wanted to say for years.

"I love you, Regina."

As the words danced into her ears, Regina's jaw dropped and her heart raced.

"I never thought I'd hear you say those words to me. I've waited so long and thought it would only happen in my dreams. I love you, too, Emma."

Both women didn't need to say another word, they just let the passion and desire inside them take over as their lips collided again.

* * *

"Do you feel more confident now?" Regina asked the blonde after she consistently was able to trigger her magic to work over and over for the past few hours with Regina's patience and guidance.

Emma shook her hands out and let out a breath then nodded. "Yeah, but that's because I'm not afraid of you." She plopped back onto the couch in defeat.

"Well, if you want me to unleash my inner Evil Queen to scare you, I will." Regina teased.

"I wouldn't be afraid. I'd probably just be turned on if anything." She laughed and Regina smirked. "But I'm serious, Regina. What happens if I'm afraid and my magic acts out again?"

Regina sighed, walking over to grab her hand. "I know why you're nervous. I've been there and it's terrifying when something you can usually rely on to help you is failing on you. But like I said, if it doesn't work, I'll be there."

Emma look up at the strong woman standing in front of her. "I actually was thinking… do you think it would be a bad idea if I told my parents?"

"Emma, I think that's a great idea!" Regina exclaimed as she sat down beside her on the couch. "I was going to suggest that earlier but didn't want you to push back and think I was making it seem like you needed someone to save you."

"I didn't think I needed saving, but then you came along and did it without me even realizing I needed you to," Emma stated with a smile.

"Even the savior needs saving from time to time." Regina said with a smile.

* * *

"Hey, Dad. Thanks for coming." Emma said as David walked into the foyer of Regina's house and Regina closed the door behind him.

He looked at both women with concern, unsure why Emma called him and asked him to meet her at Regina's house. "Not a problem. Did something happen?"

Emma's first response was to shake her head, but then she quickly stopped and nodded instead. "We should sit down."

"I'm going to give you some space." Regina cut in before Emma could say anything. "How about I make everyone some hot chocolate?" She headed toward the kitchen before either of them could respond.

"Dad, I have something to tell you…" Her voice trailed off for a second but he just sat down beside her and listened. "I'm leaving Hook."

The confusion on his face was apparent and Emma's face fell. "Why? I thought you both were happy?"

"I thought he was my happy ending but I learned the hard way that he's not. Not even close. I'm so sorry."

"Emma, don't be sorry. Come here." He pulled his daughter into a tight embrace and kissed the top of her head. "I always just want what's best for you."

"There's more to the story…" Emma interrupted then let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "He hurt me."

David's jaw dropped and he stared at his daughter who was chewing on her bottom lip. "What do you mean he hurt you?" He said flatly, his breath fighting to remain steady.

"At first, he was just very controlling… he'd get angry at me and he drank too much and would lash out at me." She said slowly. "Then he…" She paused for a moment. "Then it got physical."

David's hand balled into a fist and he stood up. "He won't get away with this, Emma. I promise he won't. I'll do everything in my power to make sure he gets what he deserves for hurting my daughter!"

"Thanks, Dad. That's why I called you here. I want your help. I think I know how we can solve this problem but I'll need you and Regina to help me."

"Of course I'll help, sweetie. Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"You know I'm not - um, the best at - you know…" She paused and tilted her head and he smiled.

"Yes, I know. You wanted to fix it yourself. You didn't want to disappoint us or let us know you were hurting. But you aren't alone in this, Emma."

"I'm stubborn, I know. I should've told you sooner. I was afraid because I know you and mom were so happy that I got my fairytale happy ending like you two have. I also thought I could handle it myself."

"You _can_ handle it yourself. But, Emma, you don't have to. That's what I'm trying to say here. I know your mother is better at these types of speeches than I am, but I want you to know you never have to be alone." He grabbed her hand and Regina walked in.

"See, I told you the exact same thing, Emma. You're not alone and we're here to help. Now what's the plan? I want that pirate to pay." Regina grinned, with a hint of revenge and vengeance gleaming in her eye.

* * *

When Emma pushed open the front door to her house, she wasn't sure if Killian would even be home. She hadn't seen or heard from him since everything happened. His lack of concern for her well-being just added fuel to the fire that already was burning inside her.

Emma shook the thoughts out of her head, trying to regain her focus. She was here for a reason.

"Killian? Are you home?"

Hook ran down the stairs in her direction. "Swan, there you are! I've been worried sick about you all day after I woke up and couldn't find you."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh, funny... " She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and glanced at the lock screen. "My phone didn't ring? Must be broken..." Her sarcasm oozed out of her.

"So where have you been? No, wait. Let me guess… with Regina?"

"Seriously? Do you not even remember what happened, Hook?"

"I remember you got exactly what you deserved for the way you tried to defy me. Not to mention the fact that you physically assaulted me!" He lifted his hand to point to his black eye that Emma gave him while trying to fight him off. "I knew you were selfish, Swan, but now you're just being manipulative and to be honest, you needed to be put in your place."

Emma's jaw dropped and she clenched her jaw. "You're accusing **me** of being abusive? You've pushed me down the steps. You've choked me. You've hit me. Hook, you fucking kicked me and then raped me!"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't sound so dramatic, love. I was drunk and you wouldn't sleep with me. It's your duty to please your man."

Emma started laughing and shook her head, unable to find any possible combination of words that could serve as a defense to what he had just said.

"See, you know I'm right." Hook added.

Emma's carefully took a step closer then softened her tone. "Killian, you _really_ hurt me. If Regina didn't find me, I would probably be in the hospital right now."

"Regina? So I was right that you were with her all day! How the bloody hell did she get into our home?" His anger flared and he walked up to her with dark eyes.

"I would assume she used her magic and she sensed something was wrong." Emma said with a shrug and tried to walk away.

Hook grabbed her arm, squeezing her bicep tightly to keep her from taking another step.

"Take your hand off of me or I promise, you'll regret it."

Hook's laughter echoed in the foyer and he rolled his eyes. "I think we've made it pretty clear who is stronger than the other, love."

"I wouldn't be so sure…" Emma smiled, irritating him further and he let go of her arm and shoved her, causing her lower back to slam against the side table by the stairs, the banging sound echoing through the room.

From their spot in the corner of the room, David jumped forward toward his daughter in attempt to defend her but Regina grabbed his arm and placed her pointer finger over her mouth, motioning for him to keep quiet. Regina's magic had them concealed and in the room but only in case Emma needed them.

"Emma can handle this. We need to let her do this." Regina whispered and pulled David back by her side and he nodded.

"Hook, I told you not to do this. Are you sure you want to keep this up?" Emma shouted, standing back up and rubbing her back where it made contact with the table. She winced slightly then regained her composure.

His laughter was deep and infuriated Emma and when he charged in her direction and went to grab her by the waist, Emma punched him in the jaw.

He groaned and gritted his teeth then went to take a swing at her. Before he could take another step, Emma lifted her arms. She let out a breath and channeled all her anger and fear, just like Regina taught her, and used her magic to throw him across the living room.

His head hit against the wall and knocked him unconscious.

"Regina? Dad?" Emma yelled out.

Regina removed the spell that was concealing them and rushed toward Emma, grabbing ahold of her hand. "We're here. Are you okay? You did great, Emma!"

Emma gave her a firm nod then David walked over to where Hook was lying on the floor. He pulled out his handcuffs then stopped and turned on his heels.

"Dad? What is it?" Emma asked, detecting his hesitation.

He walked over to Emma and extended his handcuffs out to her. "You should do it. You're the sheriff. And you also deserve to have this satisfaction."

Emma nodded and her lips curled upward slightly before taking the cuffs from him.

She walked back to where Hook's body was crumbled up against the wall then cuffed his wrists behind his back and exhaled a long breath.

Her dad pulled her into a hug and Emma let a tear fall. "Thank you." She grabbed Regina's hand and turned her head to look at both of them. "Both of you."

"I'm so proud of you, Emma." Regina said with a smile. "I told you that you didn't need us to help."

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without both of you helping me."


	16. The Cure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for everyone who stuck with this story until the end. I hope you all enjoyed and feel that I did the topic justice! I know there was some controversy around it, but I'm happy with the way it turned out and I hope my readers are happy, too. I'll be working on starting my next story this weekend so follow my account for updates or follow me on Tumblr - courtneywoods.tumblr.com

**THE CURE**

_And if you say you're okay, I'm gonna heal you anyway_   
_I promise I'll always be there_   
_I promise I'll be the cure_

* * *

Regina, Emma and David made their way into Granny's Diner later that evening and spotted Henry and Snow sitting together in the booth waiting for the rest of the group to arrive.

When Henry saw his mothers, he slid out of the booth and ran over to hug them both.

"How was school, Henry?" Regina asked as they walked toward the booth and Snow stood up to hug her daughter.

Henry told everyone about his day as they sat back down in the booth. After they placed their drink orders, David cleared his throat. "Snow, Emma has something she needs to tell you. Actually - from what I've seen today, I think it's safe to say she might have a couple things she needs to tell you." His gaze shifted and he looked at Regina and smiled.

Regina gave him a soft grin in return then turned to look at Emma, giving her a reassuring nod.

Emma looked at her mom, about to begin telling her the same thing she told her dad earlier in the day but then she paused. Quickly, she turned to face Regina, "Do you think it's okay for Henry to hear this?"

Regina paused, aggravated that neither she nor Emma had thought about that beforehand. She pursued her lips then glanced at Henry who was extending his arm toward Emma.

He grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Mom, I want to be here for you, too. No matter what. But if you just want to talk to your parents, I'll go talk to Ruby and give you guys some space."

"Thanks, kid." Emma whispered and he nodded.

He slid out of the booth and made his way over to the counter on the other side of the diner.

"We did a good job raising him, didn't we?" Regina cut in, causing Emma to smile and nod in agreement and Regina noticed Snow smiling, too.

"So the reason I wanted to talk to you is because…" Emma paused briefly to exhale, suddenly feeling much more nervous than she anticipated. Regina slipped her hand under the table and grabbed ahold of Emma's hand, brushing her thumb lightly over the back of her hand and Emma immediately felt better.

"Hook and I aren't together anymore. I already left him. Kind of — thanks to Dad's help… and Regina's." She blurted out, her nervous rambling evident to everyone seated at the table as she reached out and began fidgeting with the edge of the napkin in her lap.

Snow looked at her with confusion, tilting her head and then opened her mouth to speak but Emma cut her off.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I know you love Killian and really wanted our relationship to work so I could be happy. But he's not _Killian…_ he's Captain Hook. The Killian you know and love is just a facade. He did a great job hiding his true colors, but underneath… he's still a selfish, ignorant, entitled... disgusting pirate!" She spat out the last word and a few heads of other patrons in the diner quickly turned to glare in her direction.

She continued, her voice growing louder. "He treated me like I was some kind of possession!" Her blood boiled and her heart raced, but when she felt the pad of Regina's soft thumb brushing gently against her hand, she calmed down again. "I don't deserve that." Emma whispered.

"Emma. Honey, you don't have to defend your actions and apologize. You're right, I did push for you to be happy together. But if he isn't giving you that happiness, then you deserve to find someone else who can. You don't deserve someone who treats you like a possession, sweetie."

Emma nodded and she dropped her gaze, fidgeting again with the napkin.

Snow's tone quickly changed from soft and gentle to concerned as she saw her daughter's reaction. "Emma, what happened? Something is wrong that you aren't telling me."

Emma opened her mouth to speak and when no words came out, Regina let go of Emma's hand and moved her hand up to Emma's shoulder and rubbed her arm, causing Snow to furrow her brow. Regina leaned in to Emma and whispered, "it's okay, you can tell her."

"Dad, can you tell her?" Emma asked her father with a hopeless look.

"Emma, we're here to support you, but this isn't something we should be telling her on your behalf. You can do this." He said with a small smile.

Emma nodded slowly and faced her mom again. "He hurt me, Mom. Pretty badly. Multiple times. Dad and Regina helped me though." Her voice trailed off as she leaned her head into Regina's shoulder.

Snow gasped and grabbed her daughter's hand, tears filling her eyes, and David leaned into his wife and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Emma, oh my god I am so sorry. This is all my fault." Snow said softly, trying not to get too upset and make Emma feel worse. "We pushed for you to be with him because we wanted you to have a love like ours and we never should have done that. How could we have been so blind?"

"No, Mom. Don't be upset, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known. And it's taken care of now. Dad and I arrested him and now he's in the ward getting treatment while under a careful eye. He can't hurt me anymore."

Regina jumped in, the only calm one at the table. "She's right about everything. We don't have to worry because he will **never** hurt her again. And you can't blame yourself because you couldn't have known. Emma pushed everyone away and did a great job of keeping us all in the dark."

Regina slid out of the booth, planning to go grab Henry and let him know he could come back to the table and order dinner. She turned around to look at Emma, who bowed her head, ashamed to see the look on everyone's faces.

Before Regina could walk away, Snow called her name.

"Regina!" She turned at the sound of Snow's voice and let her continue. "How? How did you know? I can tell you were the one who figured it out and helped Emma…" Snow asked, pushing her hand against the back of the booth to stand up.

Regina smiled softly. "With Emma, I can always tell when she's hiding something. But I promised her she never had to be afraid again and I meant it." She grabbed Emma's hand for everyone to see. "Emma, I know you don't need someone to save you, but I will always do everything in my power to protect you no matter what."

Emma lifted her head and wiped away a tear that began to trickle down her cheek. She smiled at Regina and then looked at her parents whose eyes were still on Regina. David was smiling and Snow saw the look on his face and it all clicked.

"You love her, don't you?" Snow said with a small smile.

Before Regina could answer, Henry ran back over to the table when he saw everyone was standing up. He took in the sight of everyone staring at Regina. "What's going on, is everything okay?"

Regina looked at Emma again and answered Snow's question. "Yes. Yes, I do love her."

Neither Emma or Regina broke eye contact to see Snow and David's reaction. Both women just smiled at each other and then Henry wrapped his arms around both of them.

"I knew it!" He shouted, his voice full of joy.

Snow reached out and placed her arm on Regina's shoulder, pulling Regina back to reality and turning to face Snow and David.

Both of them had a smile on their faces. "I couldn't be happier." Snow said with a wide grin.

"Really?" Emma and Regina asked at the same time. Emma's jaw dropped and Regina raised a skeptical eyebrow.

David wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders and let Snow continue.

"I can't think of anyone else who could protect and love my daughter better than you can, Regina. I know how deeply you love once you open up your heart to someone and I'm really glad that you did."

" **This** is the happiness we wanted for you, Emma." David added.

"Me, too, Moms." Henry said with a grin. "How about after dinner, we all go get your stuff from your home and you can move in with us?"

"I like the way you think, kid. But there's just one thing wrong with what you said — that wasn't my home. I know that now. Home is where I feel safe and loved and that's right here, with my _family_." Emma said with a smile and Regina wrapped her arms around Emma to pull her closer.


End file.
